SUMMER MINESTRONE with Zucchini Linguine

Summer Minestrone with Zucchini Linguine

The trick to a flavoursome full-bodied minestrone is the addition of a Parmesan rind. This is the hard bit of cheese left at the end of a block of Parmesan. I always keep these in the fridge to throw into a Italian-style soup. To stop the rind drying out in the fridge wrap in kitchen paper and then store into a zip lock bag.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 rashers free-range bacon chopped (optional)
• 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup tomato passata
• Parmesan rind or 5mm slice of Parmesan cheese
• 100 g penne pasta [if not using zucchini linguine]
• 400 g can cannelini beans drained and rinsed
• 1 corn cob kernels cut off
• 1 large zucchini
• basil pesto to serve

Instructions

• In a large saucepan heat the oil over a moderate heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until the onion softens. Keep the heat low to moderate as you don't want to brown the onion. Add the bacon and garlic and cook until just coloured. Add the stock, tomato passata and Parmesan rind, bring to a gentle boil. Add the pasta if using and cook for 10 minutes. Add the drained beans, corn kernels and good until the pasta is al-dente.
• Meanwhile make the zucchini linguine using a julienne peeler or make fettuccine using a peeler. Check the soup and season as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the zucchini linguine and serve with basil pesto.

Notes

*Find another recipe using raw zucchini linguine w/ cheats meatballs HERE

I am having one of those weeks, you know those ones where you are chasing your tail all week-long? … And that is just the work side of things. Add in two little ones, a summer garden full of produce/ fruit to preserve, and our latest addition to the family = 5 brown shaver pullets (finally we will have our own free-range eggs!). So it’s a little crazy around here hence my post today is short and sweet simply to share with you a summer soup I have been making recently. This soup is the perfect way to use up some of those excess zucchini’s we all seem to have at this time of year – I still haven’t found an amazing way to preserve zucc’s so please share if you have.

One of my favourite kitchen gadgets is that little orange julienne peeler you see pictured above. Because I know you will ask (several of you did last time) I got mine locally from Prego (on Collingwood street, Nelson) but I am sure any good kitchen store will have them. If you know of an online store that stocks them please post the link in the comments. It is kind of like a cheaper version of the spiralizer often used in raw food preparation. I love my julienne peeler because I can quickly add a boost of raw into a meal without macerating food like a grater would.

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