MINESTRONE

This Italian dish is perfect for autumn and this depressing whether we are having here in Slovenia. It basically means thick soup with a lot of ingredients. I never make it the same as the last time. So feel free to use your imagination and the veggies you have in your refrigerator. One thing I always like to add is some dried beans, whatever I have at home. And than I add some fresh veggies and quite a lot of spices.

Preprosta italijanska jed, ki je več kot primerna za jesen in turobno vreme, kakršnega imamo zadnjih nekaj dni. Minestrone je ime za gosto juho z veliko sestavinami in osebno je nikoli ne naredim enako kot prejšnjič. Tako da svobodno spremeni recept in dodaj zelenjavo, ki ti leži v hladilniku. Je pa ena stvar, ki jo vedno rada dodam, in to so suhe stročnice. Nato pa dodam nekaj svežo zelenjavo in veliko začimb.

I cooked the broccoli steam in the soup and later took it out.
Osrednji del brokolija sem skuhala v juhi in ga nato vzela ven.

 Recipe (2-4, depends on if this is main dish or just a starter)
1 cup dry beans (soy, kidney beans, green beans… I use a mix I buy in store)
1 carrot
1/2 zucchini
1 cup broccoli
pasta (about 1/2 cup)
salt, pepper, juniper berries, garlic, parsley, bay leaf
Soak the beans overnight or boil them for  30 minutes before adding other ingredients. Leave the beans it the water they were soaking in and add spices. Boil and on medium temperature cook  minutes. Add chopped vegetables and cook for another 15 min or more  – depends on how cooked you like your veggies. Add pasta 10 minutes before serving. It is important that you taste it and add more salt or spices if needed!

Before serving take out pepper, juniper berries and bayleaf!
 Pred serviranjem osdtrani poper, brinove jagode in lovorjev list!

Recept (2-4, odvisno od tega ali jo imaš za glavno jed ali kot predjed)
pest suhih stročnic (soja, fižol, leča… jaz uporabim kar mešanico, ki jo kupim v trgovini)
1 korenje
1/2 bučke
pest brokolija
testenine (približno 1/2 pesti)
sol, poper, brinove jagode, česen, peteršilj, lovorjev list
Čez noč namoči suhe stročnice ali pa jih pred pripravo kuhaj 30 minut. Stročnice pustiš v vodi, v kateri so se namakale, in dodaš začimbe. Zavreš in kuhaš na zmernem ognju 15 minut. Dodaš narezano zelenjavo in kuhaš še 15 minut ali več – odvisno od tega, koliko skuhano zelenjavo imaš rad/a. 10 minut pred serviranjem dodaj testenine. Pomembno je, da poskusiš juho in dodaš sol ali začimbe, če je potrebno.

Yours truly, A.