There is nothing better than a freshly made soup on a cold winters day, curled up on your couch binge-watching your fav show and in desperate need of a quick and easy meal, which will have your taste buds singing. Stefano Manfredi rice and bean minestrone soup is perfect for your winter soup craving and he even shares an exclusive tip on when to eat the delicious soup!
“This soup uses parmesan rind cut up into small pieces,” says Stefano Manfredi. “It melts yet retains a little chewiness – it’s delicious. Prepare the rind by scraping off the thin coating of wax with a sharp knife (it’s harmless but tastes a little strange). Then cut the rind into 1cm cubes. This soup tastes much better the day after it’s made, but you may need to thin it with a little extra liquid because the rice absorbs it as it stands.” He said.
Prep time: 25 Mins, cook 35 min
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
60ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 onions, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, each cut into 3-4 pieces
1 celery heart (including the tender pale leaves), sliced
2 fresh bay leaves
350gm waxy potatoes, such as Nicola, cut into 1cm dice
125gm (½ cup) podded fresh borlotti, cannellini or similar beans (270gm unpodded; see note)
200gm canned peeled Italian tomatoes, crushed
100gm (½ cup) carnaroli rice (see note)
1 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
60 gm parmesan rind, thin outer wax removed, cut into 1cm cubes
Freshly grated parmesan and crusty bread, to serve
Method:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion, garlic, celery and bay leaves, and fry vegetables lightly, without colouring, until softened (3-5 minutes).
Add potato, beans and tomato, then add water to cover ingredients by 4cm (about 1.25 litres).
Bring to the boil over high heat, add rice, season to taste and stir to combine.
Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until rice is cooked (20-25 minutes).
Add parsley and parmesan rind, and simmer until parmesan starts to soften (5 minutes).
Season to taste, scatter with plenty of parmesan, drizzle with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.
Note: If fresh beans are unavailable, use canned beans, rinsed. Carnaroli rice is available from select supermarkets and delicatessens.
Gourmet Traveller: Italian Big Flavours, Classic Dishes is now available for purchase.
