minestrone my way

With the cold, hot dishes are desired, and if they are to be eaten with a spoon, so much the better! Miriam, author of the Invitado de Invierno blog , brings us a minestrone well loaded with healthy and varied ingredients, achieving flavors that will surprise you.

Minestrone is a very substantial typical Italian soup , which is mainly prepared with assorted chopped vegetables, depending on the season, and to which pasta or rice is usually added. You can also bring some legumes and, if we want to give it more flavor, a meat or chicken broth, and some bacon and ham. It is usually presented, like so many Italian dishes, with some grated Parmesan cheese so that each diner can be served at will.

Well, today I bring you a minestrone with all the accessories and to my liking (I'm small), although based on an adaptation of Jamie Oliver's popular minestrone soup . With a not very Italian addition: serrano ham. But we already know that anything with Serrano ham improves remarkably, even if it is Italian.

Ingredients

• 4-5 tbsp. virgin olive oil
• 2 slices of serrano ham (or bacon)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 purple onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 1 leek
• ¼ cabbage
• 1 beautiful potato
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 jar of natural peeled tomatoes
• 150gr of red beans (weight already cooked)
• 1 liter of chicken or vegetable broth
• A good handful of small pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A few basil leaves for garnish
• Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Elaboration

1. We start by peeling and chopping the vegetables. Finely chop the garlic, onion and carrot. Dice the zucchini and potato, and the leek into rings. Cut the cabbage into juliana. We booked.
2. We cover a wide skillet , a pot or cocotte with the oil and heat over medium heat. Put the ham or bacon cut into little pieces and fry it. We withdraw and reserve for later.
3. In the same oil, fry the garlic, onion and leek until they are transparent. Add the rest of the vegetables, except the cabbage, tomato and beans, and fry for a few minutes.
4. Once the vegetables are fried, we add the chopped tomato and all its juice, the chopped cabbage, the broth, the reserved ham and the bay leaf. Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the potato and cabbage are tender.
5. Then add the pasta and cook for the time stipulated on the package. Finally, we add the beans, drained of their liquid if they are canned, and we give everything together one last boil.
6. We serve the soup in a tureen or stew, well sprinkled with chopped basil and with a bowl of grated Parmesan. Do not forget to put the basil because it gives it a great touch. Ideal for this time, don't you think?