Nicks Italian Cafe Minestrone Soup

In this recipe, adapted from Nick’s Italian Café in McMinnville, Oregon, minestrone soup achieves a unique consistency by finely chopping a portion of the vegetables in a food processor and pureéing the meat. The result is truly remarkable, but be sure to start early in the day… this soup simmers for over 8 hours in several stages to fully develop its complex flavor.
At Nick’s, the soup is served topped with fresh pesto and grated parmegiano-reggiano and pecorino-romano. In Saveur (one of my all-time favorite cooking magazines), where the original recipe was published, restauranteur Nick Peirano explains that “the heat makes the aroma rise.”

Ingredients

-3 carrots, peeled and trimmed

-1 medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

-1 rib celery, coarsely chopped

-green pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

-6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

-leaves of ? bunch parsley

-? pound lean salt pork (often found near the bacon in your grocer’s cold case)

-1 14?-ounce can diced tomatoes

-1 6-ounce can tomato paste

-? cup dried basil

-1 tablespoon dried oregano

-freshly ground black pepper

-? pound string beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

-1 cups shelled fresh or frozen peas

-salt

Instructions

Coarsely chop one of the carrots and put into a food processor. Add onions, celery, pepper, and garlic. Pulse until vegetables are finely chopped, then transfer to a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add parsley, salt pork, and 3 quarts water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, for 6 hours.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer salt pork to a food processor, then process until fat liquifies and meat turns into a paste, about 30 seconds. Pass salt pork through a sieve back into pot, using a rubber spatula to press as much paste through the sieve as possible. Skim off and discard fat from the broth. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano to pot. Season to taste with 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer over medium heat, covered for 2 hours.

Add 4 cups water to pot, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, thinly slice remaining carrots crosswise, then add to pot. Add green beans and peas, reduce heat to medium, and simmer soup, partially covered until carrots, beans, and peas are soft, about 30 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, topped with fresh pesto and grated Parmegiano-Reggiano and Pecorino-Romano.