Cold Minestrone with Rice

Photo by Joseph De Leo from Hazan Family Favorites

I feel a certain kinship with Giuliano Hazan.I do not have a famous cookbook author for a mother. But Marcella Hazan and my mom are contemporaries, both born and raised in pre-World War II Italy. And while Marcella Hazan was from Emilia-Romagna and my mother from Abruzzo, both grew up in communities along the Adriatic coast. These parallels may be why I have always seen similarities in the way they cook.

It may also be why Giuliano Hazan's recipes feel so wonderfully familiar to me. As much as I enjoy experimenting with all types of cuisine, I also relish the feeling of making something that to me says "home" and that I know I'm going to love. That's what it's like when I open one of Hazan's books to choose a recipe.

This recipe comes from his 2012 book Hazan Family Favorites: Beloved Italian Recipes (Stewart, Taboori & Chang). I am a soup fanatic, no matter the season, and this cold minestrone is an excellent example of the "simple, clean, genuine" style of Italian cooking that Hazan and I share in common. What I especially like about this soup is that it simmers for a long time, so that the vegetables get soft and silky and mingle together. Although the title says "cold" the soup is actually served at room temperature, which is the way Italians serve many dishes in summer.

COLD MINESTRONE WTIH RICE
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For the minestrone:
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 medium carrots
2 celery stalks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces Savoy cabbage
4 ounces green beans
12 ounces boiling potatoes (such as Yukon Gold)
12 ounces zucchini
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups homemade meat broth, or 1/2 beef and 1/2 chicken bouillon cube
A rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
1 1/2 cups canned cannellini beans, drained

For the Cold Minestrone with Rice:
3 cups Minestrone (from the above recipe)
3 cups water
3/4 cup Italian rice (Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or Arborio)
12 to 14 fresh basil leaves
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

For the minestrone:
1. Peel and finely chop the onions. Peel and cut the carrots int 1/4-inch dice. Peel the backs of the celery stalks and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Put hte onion, carrots, celery, olive oil, and butter in a 6-quart soup pot and place over medium-high heat. Saute until the onion turns a golden color and the carrots and celery just begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. While the vegetables are sauteing, finely shred the cabbage. Trim both ends of the green beans and dice them. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Trim both ends of the zucchini and cut into 1/2-inch dice.

3. When the onions, carrots, and celery are ready, add the cabbage, season lightly with salt, and cook until the cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans, potatoes, and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, and add the broth or the bouillon cube and 4 cups water and the Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, if using [I happened to have homemade broth in my freezer so that's what I used; there is a recipe for homemade broth in Hazan's cookbook]. Once the soup begins to boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 2 1/2 hours.

4. Add the cannellini beans and cook for another 20 minutes. [At this point the soup can be served hot or at room temperature, or used for the cold minestrone with rice.]

For the Cold Minestrone with Rice:
1. Put the minestrone and the water in a 4- to 5-quart pot over high heat. Once the soup is boiling, add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, covered, until the rice s al dente, about 15 minutes. After the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, coarsely shred the basil leaves and add them to the soup.

2. When the rice is done [I actually cooked mine a little longer that 15 minutes], ladle the soup into bowls and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature and drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over each serving.

NOTE: You can prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate. Take the bowls out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving to allow to come to room temperature.