Episode #306 - Minestrone (Organic Vegetable Soup)
My mom used it quite often, but the pot she had always seemed to me very scary and unapproachable; you had to close it with a knob placed on top of the lid, and the valve was to it what a security pin is to a hand grenade. It used to scream whistles, twirl around and shake very fast...no pattern, absolutely random. All of us always expected to see those few ounces of metal pop out of the lid and fly to the moon, right trough the roof of the house.
I was allowed to use any kind of knife, but not that technological embarrassment that our cooker was. So, I never dared, until a few years ago, when Deb taught me how to cook her favorite pee soup, using a definitely better pot.
Just a few quick notes:
- Every pressure cooker is different. Different
brands usually have slightly different gauges, valves
and locking systems; please refer to the “user’s
manual”, before you get baptized...literally!
- If you would rather use a regular deep pot just
consider that the cooking time will be longer, more
than double...
- Be careful not to overcook! Pressure cookers are
great because they save a lot of time, but it is also
very easy to transform your chopped healthy goods
into a sludge...still a healthy sludge I guess...
- About Potatoes. They add a nice “starchy” feel to
the soup, and also really help achieving volume but,
when frozen and defrosted, their texture becomes
grainy (carbs always have a way to mess around with
you). So, if you intend to freeze your soup (like we
always do), do not use them...if you do, you can
still blend the soup after it is defrosted with a
mixer... still good.
The ingredients below take into consideration the
fact you will be cooking double servings for 4
people, and freeze half of your soup.
Let’s get cookin’!
MINESTRONE - ORGANIC
VEGETABLE SOUP
Serves: 4 + 4
Prep Time: 15
Cooking Time: Soffritto 25 min., Pressure Cooker ca
15 min. Regular pot ca 40 min.
Ingredients:
½ Red Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
1 Handful of Parsley
2 Carrots
5 Celery stocks