Minestrone, Traditional    

Total time: 6 hours  3 hours soaking, 3 hours cooking, 30 minutes work
   Chock full of vegetables, low in fat and packed with flavor; this has been a favorite soup at our house for years.  It requires very little hands-on time and fills the kitchen with wonderful aromas while it cooks - the perfect soup! This method of soaking is supposed to prevent excess 'flatulence' from the beans ....worked for us!

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups (16oz, 480gr) dried kidney beans,   I used 1 cup white and 1 cup red, but all of either is fine
• 8 cups water
• 1 medium onion
• 4 - 5 carrots 
• 2 - 3 ribs celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 cups cabbage 
• 4oz (120gr) spinach 
• 4 cups (30oz, 900gr) whole tomatoes
• 6oz (180gr) Prosciutto, thickly or thinly sliced    or other dry-cured 'country' ham,  it adds lots of good, ham flavor
• 6oz (180gr) regular, baked or deli ham   also known as 'city' ham
• 4 cups (32oz, 960ml) chicken stock
• 5 - 6 cups water
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• spaghetti, 4oz (120gr),   a 'circle'  about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter

 Instructions:

• Soaking the beans - 6 hours before dinner: 
• Sort through beans, discarding any stones (never found any) or damaged beans. 
• Put beans in soup pot or Dutch oven (5 qt capacity), add 8 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-low heat.  This should take about 20 minutes. 
• When just starting to simmer turn off heat and let sit for 3 hours. 
• Cooking the beans - 3 hours before dinner: 
• Drain and lightly rinse the beans.  Do NOT use the cooking water. 
• Put beans back in the pot, add chicken stock and water. 
• Roughly chop the Prosciutto and add to the pot. 
• Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 90 minutes.  Do not let it boil hard - this could cause the beans to break-up. 
• Making the soup - 90 minutes before dinner:
• Uncover the soup and turn heat to medium. 
• Mince garlic and add to pot.  
• Chop carrots, celery and onions; add each to pot as you finish chopping. 
• To cut cabbage, cut off a large slice next to the core.  You may need part of another slice to get the 3 cups.  Wrap and refrigerate the rest. 
• Chop cabbage and add to pot. 
• Drain tomatoes, reserving juices and roughly chop; add to stock along with juices. 
•  Cut regular ham into bite-size pieces and add to pot. 
• Add herbs to pot. 
• Cover and let soup return to simmer.  
• Finishing the soup - 20 minutes before dinner:  
• Add the spinach to the pot - roughly chopping if large leaves. 
• Break spaghetti into 3" (7.5cm) lengths and add to pot. 
• Cover and let finish, stirring from time to time. 
• Serve.  Refrigerate the rest for freezing and / or eating later in the week.

Note:  If you can get an actual ham bone (which I cannot) you can use that and plain water instead of the Prosciutto and chicken stock.  Remove before adding vegetables. 

Note 2:  In the U.S. one can buy jars of 'Ham Base' which would be good - the appropriate amount dissolved in 1 qt water.  The Ham Base could be substituted for chicken stock in soups, etc. in the future.  I don't want to recommend buying it for just this soup, thus the chicken stock or bone.

Minestrone, quick version  

Total time: 60 minutes 
   You can make this in an hour at a hard simmer (which I do) or you can put it all together and let it simmer gently for two.... it all depends on your day.  It doubles, triples, whatever easily.... it's soup!

 Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 ribs celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cabbage 
• 2 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes
• 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) tomato sauce
• 1 3/4 cups (15oz, 450gr) red kidney beans
• 1 3/4 cups (15oz, 450gr) white kidney beans
• 1 slice ham, 8oz (240gr)  regular pink deli or baked ham
• 4oz (120gr) spinach
• 4 cups (32oz, 960ml) chicken stock
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• spaghetti, 2oz, (60gr)   a 'bunch'  about 2/3" (2cm) in diameter - or less

 Instructions:

• In soup pot or Dutch oven (4 or 5 qt capacity) heat stock over medium-high heat. 
• Mince garlic and add to stock.  
• Chop carrots, celery and onions; add to stock. 
• Drain tomatoes, reserving juices and roughly chop; add to stock along with juices and tomato sauce 
• To cut cabbage make a slice next to the core.  You will probably use just that slice to get the 2 cups.  Wrap and refrigerate the rest. 
• Chop cabbage and add to stock. 
• Cover and let stock return to hard simmer.  Cook for 25 minutes. 
• Cut ham into bite-size pieces and add to pot. 
• Drain and rinse beans; add to pot.
•  Add herbs to pot. 
• Add the spinach to the pot - roughly chopping if the leaves are large. 
• Break spaghetti into 3" (7.5cm) lengths and add to pot. 
• Cover and simmer 20 minutes longer, until finished, stirring from time to time. 
• Serve.  Refrigerate the rest for later in the week.

Note:   In the U.S. one can buy jars of 'Ham Base' which would be good - the appropriate amount dissolved in 1 qt water.  The Ham Base could be substituted for chicken stock in soups, etc. in the future.  I don't want to recommend buying it for just this soup, thus the chicken stock.