Authentic Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe
Recipe for minestrone Triestino, or minestrone from Trieste, also known as 'jota', is a traditional dish in Italy's north-eastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in particular in the cities of Trieste and Gorizia.
Recipe for minestrone Triestino, or minestrone from Trieste, also known as 'jota', is a traditional dish in Italy's north-eastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in particular in the cities of Trieste and Gorizia.
- 3 tbsp butter
- black pepper ((to taste))
- 2 oz double smoked bacon ((diced))
- 1 yellow onion ((chopped))
- 1/2 lb (about 5 1/2 cups) swiss chard ((leaves and stems roughly chopped))
- 1/2 lb (two small or one large) zucchini ((cut into thic
- 5 oz (2 packed cups) spinach ((roughly chopped))
- 3 oz (about 1 cup) chopped green beans ((fresh or froz
- 2 carrots ((cut into thick slices))
- 1 celery rib ((cut into thick slices))
- 2 tomatoes ((peeled and sliced))
- 2 large potatoes ((peeled and cut into quarters))
- 6 1/2 cups beef or vegetable broth
- 2 tomatoes ((peeled and minced))
- 5 oz (1 1/2 cups) durum wheat semolina pasta
- 3 tbsp olive oil ((for frying))
- 4 tbsp grana padano cheese ((or parmigiano reggiano grated))
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh italian parsley
- sea salt ((to taste))
- Carbohydrate 0.0541281250009126 g
- Cholesterol 7.62578125327025 mg
- Fat 3.16287031373372 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 1.51214843751293 g
- Saturated Fat 1.96495875078133 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (207g)
- Sodium 444.230000008761 mg
- Sugar 0.0541281250009126 g
- Trans Fat 0.214391562586365 g
- Calories 35 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and bacon, and cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the Swiss chard, zucchini, spinach, celery, green beans, potatoes, carrots and the 2 sliced tomatoes. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes, stirring every now and then.
- Add the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, covered, for an hour and 15 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes from the pot, mash, mix with the minced tomatoes and return back to the pot.
- Add the pasta and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. The time will depend on the kind of pasta you are using.
- Add the chopped parsley, butter and 4 tablespoons of Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Mix well and serve.
When the boiled potatoes are extracted, mashed separately, and reintroduced to the simmering broth alongside the durum wheat semolina pasta, chemical changes accelerate rapidly, meaning precise visual cues like translucent onions at the four-minute mark dictate the final viscosity of the dish. Most cooks treat this soup as an immediate serving proposition, yet structurally, it behaves entirely differently after resting in a cold environment overnight. Starch molecules retrogress upon cooling, binding free water and tightening the body of the soup into a stew-like consistency that demands careful reheating over low heat to prevent scorching at the base of the heavy-bottomed pot.
- Refrigerate the finished soup within two hours in an airtight glass container, where it will safely hold its structural integrity for up to three days without breaking down the cellular walls of the Swiss chard and spinach.
- Fresh green beans retain a bright vegetal snap that frozen alternatives entirely lose during the mandatory seventy-five-minute simmer, though frozen varieties release less surface moisture initially and require an upward adjustment of broth by roughly half a cup to maintain proper liquidity.
- Stir the grated Grana Padano into the pot only after removing it from the direct heat source to prevent the proteins in the cheese from curdling into grainy strands.
Transforming leftover portions on the second day requires adding a splash of warm water or additional vegetable broth to counteract the thickening action of the potatoes and pasta. Patience during the gentle reheat ensures the double-smoked bacon fat integrates evenly back into the emulsion rather than separating at the surface.
