Sorrel Minestrone
Minestrone di Romice
Traditional rustic minestrone with sorrel, wild herbs, beans, potatoes, pancetta and salted curd.
Romice Minestrone is a rustic and hearty dish, perfect for a complete meal when you want to bring a warm, fragrant, and richly textured dish to the table. The base combines the softness of beans and potatoes with the flavor of pancetta, while the dock, the wild fennelThe strigoli and mint introduce an intense and distinctive herbaceous note. The salted curd, added at the end, completes the dish, making the broth smoother and more enveloping. Cooking in water allows the ingredients to gradually meld their flavors and develop a full-bodied consistency, without turning the vegetables into a cream. This recipe highlights simple ingredients through a slow cooking technique and a clear balance of flavor, wild aromas, and smoothness.
Instructions
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8 steps · natural Italian voice
Prepare the soffritto
Chop the onion and make it gently sauté in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, until it becomes soft and takes on a uniform golden color. Keep the heat under control to prevent burning: the bottom should be fragrant and slightly golden, without any bitter notes.
Brown the pancetta
Join the pancetta cut it into cubes and brown it in soffritto, stirring regularly. Continue cooking until the meat browns and some of the fat melts, forming a glossy, aromatic sauce. Do not stop cooking before the pancetta be well seasoned.
Add the herbs
2 minTrim and clean and wash the wild fennel, mint, strigoli and dock leaves; add them to the soffritto along with the beans. Stir to evenly distribute the ingredients and cook for about 2 minutes: the herbs should wilt and release their aroma without darkening too much.
Combine the potatoes
Cut the potatoes into chunks, preferably Fonnesi varieties, and add them to the pot. Stir gently to coat them with the seasoning and blend them with the herbs, without crushing them. Once they are evenly seasoned, add the water.
Cover with water
Pour in (3.17 pt) 1.5 liters of water, making sure the liquid covers the ingredients. Bring the minestrone to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a steady but not aggressive simmer. The liquid should completely surround the beans and potatoes, ensuring even cooking.
Cook the minestrone
60 minLet it cook for about 1 hour, checking the boiling point occasionally. Continue cooking until the beans and potatoes are fork-tender and the broth becomes thicker and more fragrant. Season with salt to taste as needed, considering the flavor of the pancetta and curd.
Mix the curd
When cooking is almost complete, add the salted curd and stir carefully to distribute it throughout the broth. Work it until it is incorporated and gives the minestrone a uniform consistency, leaving no separate clumps. Turn off the heat when the mixture it is smooth and very hot.
Serve very hot
Let the minestrone rest for a few minutes, so the flavors and texture can settle. Serve very hot, making sure each portion contains beans, potatoes, pancetta and herbs. The result should be dense, fragrant, and smooth, with the ingredients well combined.
Chef's Tips
Add the salted curd only when cooking is almost complete and mix it thoroughly, so that the minestrone reaches a uniform consistency without losing its structure.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for 4 people
- (8.82 oz) 250 g beans
- (10.58 oz) 300 g of pancetta pork
- 2 bunches of wild fennel a few mint leaves
- 1 bunch of strigoli leaves
- 1 bunch of dock leaves, 6 medium potatoes
- (7.05 oz) 200 g salted curd (merca)
- 2 dl of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- salt
Can't find it in the US?
- pancettaMost US supermarkets
Unsmoked bacon or salt pork, blanched 1 minute in boiling water
Salt pork is saltier: taste before adding salt.
- wild fennelHard to find in the US
Fennel fronds plus a pinch of crushed fennel seed
Or: Fresh dill plus fennel seed
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