my minestrone

there were some large white beans in the pantry that needed to be used. i figured that a minestrone soup would be a good place for them to drown...







others to join the beans were:

celeriac, 2 parsnips, 3 carrots, a tin of crushed tomatoes, white cabbage, whole wheat elbow macaroni, onion, garlic, parsley, vegetable stock, smoked ham (could easily be left out, still a tasty soup)







once chopped the veggies amounted about:

1 cup celeriac
1 cup carrots
½ cup parsnip
½ cup cabbage
½ cup onion, 2 cloves of garlic got just smashed







i have no idea why i had bought these beans. it says they are "ecological and organic" but come from the other side of the world, namely china, the mere distance making them not ecological. and, sorry china, i have hard time believing your farming methods are up to western standards of organic. i need to start reading the fine print in packages even more carefully! but yes, these were easy to use, just rinse and there you go...







as with any soup, i started by sauteeing the veggies first in 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil for a few minutes, until fragrant, in a hot pot. i like to use this particular pot as it has a non-stick surface. then added the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock to barely cover the veggies and left to simmer on medium low for 20 mins







as usual, tied the parsley stems and sunk them in the mix for extra flavor







meanwhile...i minced the smoked ham. i think there was 200gr (or 300gr) in the package, but little goes a long way if you get good stuff with strong smokey flavor. but, like i mentioned, the ham can be omitted, i think i would add green beans, maybe, or some leafy greens, or nothing. there are plenty of flavors going on without the ham







as there really wasn't any other spices (no salt, no pepper) i thought some hot sauce / sriracha would be good. this was the amount i dared to put in...again, my tastebuds could have used more but my stomach was thankful for the tiny amount.







after 20 mins i added the minced ham, 1 cup of elbow macaroni, 2 cups of vegetable stock, and mixed well...







...before adding the beans. carefully mixed in the beans and simmered on medium heat for another 10 mins for the macaroni to cook.







to finish, i mixed in ½ cup minced parsley. this patch served certain someone and i for dinner and there will be 2 lunches for both of us to take to work. i'm sure this will taste even better when reheated.







certain someone got dessert, quark and strawberries from the freezer. stupid me, i got regular quark and i really need to eat just the low-lactose kind...