First of all, any soup that requires being slowly cooked over the course of five hours has to start from a point of love. You're not going to invest that much time and patience in anything (even if it's mostly just being watchful) if you don't care about both the recipe and the people who are going to be eating it.
And secondly, this is a special recipe in my family. It's what we eat together on Christmas Eve – usually sandwiched on both ends of the meal by piles of my sister's incredible spread of Christmas cookies. I stole the recipe from my sister, who got it from my mom – but I'm not clear on the original source. Actually, I've stolen it and promptly lost it several times. This year I wised up and typed it into the Notes app on my phone, so it is now officially the only recipe that goes with me everywhere.
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| These were for the lasagna, not the soup. |
This weekend it went with me to Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, for a celebration with friends old and new.
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| View from the cabin, before the sky dumped like six more inches of snow on us. |
After a long day of board-gaming, banjo-playing, snow-trekking and hot-tubbing, this giant pot of soup along with some of my favorite kale salad and Brussels sprout/mushroom lasagna proved a solid base for a long night of dancing, face-painting and Ohio Piles (TM).
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| Also for the lasagna and not for the soup. But Logan took such nice pictures that I couldn't help include them. |
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| And there was birthday cake for Christina and Kim! |
What does this soup taste like? Just straight-up minestrone. It's the version I grew up with, and my favorite version. It's homey; it's hearty; it's super vegetably; it's lovable.
It's great with some shredded Parmesan on top. My brother-in-law's secret, though, is to put some shredded Tillamook on top (nobody tell him I told you). I know it sounds weird and bordering on sacrilegious. Sometimes you just have to accept that things are good and stop worrying about whether it's right. See also: Doritos with cottage cheese (don't judge).
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| See also: My sequined dress with this mask/wig combo. JK THAT'S TERRIFYING. |
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| RIGHT. |
Loeffler Christmas Eve Minestrone
Serves 12 as main course, more as a starter
Put this stuff in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 4 hours:
4 quarts vegetable broth
2 cups assorted dried beans (I used a pre-mixed 15-bean blend)
1/2 cup diced red skinned potato (one small one)
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/c cup chopped spinach (fresh or frozen
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Now remove the lid from the pot and add this stuff to simmer for 30 minutes:
1 cup peas
2 carrots, sliced into half moons
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
Now add and simmer for another 15 minutes:
1/2 cup small shell pasta
To serve:
Shredded Parmesan (or other cheese of your liking)
O goodie, I get to tell you a story! The soup recipe was developed by your grandmother Doble. She used to love the minestrone served by a restaurant in Pasadena (can't remember which one, but maybe your Aunt Karyn can tell you). She would buy a container of the minestrone to take home, and decided to analyze it and try to come up with her own recipe. After much tinkering, she was satisfied that she had the right combination. One night when they went to have dinner, she handed the recipe to their waiter and asked if someone could tell her whether she had a winner. The waiter took it back to the kitchen. A short while later, the chef appeared to tell her that she had done a good job duplicating the ingredients, with one suggestion for change: use chicken broth instead of the beef broth she had used.
ReplyDeleteTrue story -- within the limits of my memory!
Wow, I had no idea insane soup-making was just in my blood! Thanks for letting me know, mom!
DeleteOne more twist on Mom's story - Grandmother told me that when she handed her version of the recipe to the wait staff, he quickly brought her a typed version that the restaurant would give out to people who requested it. I couldn't tell if she was mad that she could have just asked or proud that she actually got most of it right.
ReplyDelete(This is Aunt Karyn) She was Proud! She asked for the recipe many times! They joked about giving her a job after she figured it out. I definitely don't remember getting a typed version. I do remember the chef coming out and talking to her, which made her very proud and she loved it. But if you knew how long it took to perfect the recipe and how often we ate minestrone soup, you'll understand why I steer clear of soup in general. We're talking months and months folks. In present day, about once a year, I'll get a hankering to make my version of soup, more like stoup (combination of soup and stew), i.e., very thick. After that is gone, I don't think about it for another year.
ReplyDelete