ItaliancookingTIPS!
The difference beetwen “Soup” and “Minestra Primavera”?
In Italy we add croutons or pieces of toasted bread to the Soups, otherwise the Minestra has pasta, rice or cereals like spelled or barley
Minestra Primavera
We call this recipe Minestra "Primavera" not only because we use all the first veggies of the season, but because the taste is delicate and the texture a bit liquid, more like a broth than like a soup! It is a traditional spring (primavera) dish and when I see fresh peas at the market I cannot resist, it is time to cook! Last but not least: taste your Minestra Primavera at room temperature, just to emphasize its freshness.
Ingredients
- Potatoes - 300gr
- Fresh Peas - 600gr
- Carrots - 300gr
- Zucchini - 300gr
- Spring Onions - 300gr
- Asparagus - 300gr
- Celery - a stalk
- Pasta - 200gr
- Tomato paste - 1 teaspoon
- Parsley to garnish
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
At first, start bring to the boil 1,5 liter of water (you will need about 1 liter, save the other to add if necessary)
Wash and cut potatoes, carrots and zucchini in cubes
Shell the fresh peas
Cut onions, asparagus and celery in circlets
Put the butter on fire into a bowl big and leave it to melt
Add the vegetables, flavor with salt and pepper and cook it for 5 minutes mixing well
Add the tomato paste
Add 1 liter of boiling water and leave it to cook, very gently, for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes will be soften
Add the peas, the pasta and leave to cook until "al dente" (both will continue to cook for a while into the hot broth)
Leave to rest until the Minestra will be at room temperature
Before to taste add some parsley, extra virgin olive oil and grated parmesan cheese
Notes
The only hard work needed for this recipe is to cook all vegetables in little pieces, possibly the same size. Another good tip is to cook the minestra on a very gentle flame to save the texture of veggies. It's important that the veggies will ever cook at the same temperature, that's why I boil the water before to add. In the same way, I save some hot water to add to the soup if it thickens too much. Are you fighting against calories: avoid butter and parmesan cheese, absolutely not indispensable!

ItaliancookingTIPS!
Pasta for Minestra is always short, like the “ditalini” you see in the picture. Another options could be spaghetti broken by hand in little pieces






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