There a
whole lot of history around the Seven Virtues and this soup, but I am not going to offer any pretense of knowing things Italian, including culture and history. I am not Italian and this isn't my grandmother's recipe. It's my first effort on a traditional classic favorite.
1 I did soe research on the subject and then went shopping.
Stock
Pair of pigs feet
Small Onion
Shallot
Several Cloves of Garlic
Oregano
Parsley
Thyme
Marjoram
Black Peppercorns
Salt
Simmer together till the meat is falling off the bones. For me, this
was about 2 and 1/2 hours. Chill overnight. Skin and debone.
Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, heat stock
and strain.
Reserve the meat and skin,
if you want to add that back to the soup.
Cut the skin into small pieces .
500G of beans.
I was unable to find Cannellini beans. So I substituted Small white beans.
Soak overnight:
Small White Beans
Black Beans
Chickpeas
Black Eyed Peas
Rinse only (so do that tomorrow).
Fava Beans
Lentils
Fresh Peas (Add with the fresh veggies and pasta)
Drain, rinse and cover the beans with water and cook 45
minutes, I added the lentils and the fava beans after the cooking started at 30
minutes.
In the pan with some olive oil add the root vegetables,
garlic, oregano, and parsley.
3 Carrots
1 Onion
1 Small Turnip
1 Potato
1 t. Parsley
1 t. Oregano
Once these are soft add the pork stock back in. When the
beans have cooked for forty five minutes add them in to the stock.
Add
3 ounces of Pancetta
3 ounces of Prosciutto
Start to add the fresh veggies,
2 Stalks of Celery
½ Small Cabbage
Black Kale
½ Cup Peas
3 Tomatoes Chopped
Add in some pasta if you’re into that.
The soup is done when the beans are cooked about 45 minutes
after the beans are added back to the stock.
Serve with grated parmeson or pecorino.
1. http://memoriediangelina.com/2014/04/20/le-virtu-abruzzese-seven-virtues-minestrone/ provided a lot of the inspiration for this effort.
