Winter Minestrone

I'm so eager for spring these days but unfortunately, Mother Nature is still reminding us that it's winter in Montreal.  There's actually fresh snow on the ground this morning from last night.  *Sigh*

The positive in all of this is that I'll share with you a really delicious winter soup recipe that I discovered this season.  During the winter I always crave soups or any other kind of comfort food and this one really fit the bill!  It's a big bowl of soup packed with chunky veggies, beans, small pasta and it has a surprisingly layered flavour profile thanks to the addition of white wine, pesto and parmesan.  So while I wait for spring to come I'll probably be making more soups like this one to cheer me up from the cold weather.

Winter Minestrone

Yield: approximately 8 servings

Ingredients:

Good olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, 1/2-inch-diced

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

2 cups (1/2-inch-diced) carrots (3 carrots)

2 cups (1/2-inch-diced) celery (3 stalks)

2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch-diced) peeled butternut squash

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 (26-ounce) can nor box diced tomatoes, such as Pomi

6 to 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked small pasta such as tubetti

8 to 10 ounces of kale, 1 head of kale with the ribs removed chopped into 1-1/2-inch

1/2 cup good dry white wine

2 tablespoons store-bought pesto

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven.  Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally,  for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1/2 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Discard the bay leaf.  Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through.  The soup should be quite thick but if it's too thick, I add more chicken stock.  

Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the kale, and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad).  Cook just until the leaves are wilted.  Stir in the white wine and pesto.  Depending on the saltiness of chicken stock, season to taste.  Serve soup sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.

NB: If ever you have leftovers of this soup, it will be thicker and the pasta shapes will continue to absorb the liquid.  You can reheat it with additional chicken broth or have a chunkier soup!  I ended up with additional butternut squash from the recipe and it's delicious when roasted in the oven.

Source: slightly modified from Barefoot Contessa