Deep South Minestrone
The Ur-recipe for this soup was found in the Tallahassee Democrat when I was in my twenties. I was a vegetarian and trying to figure out how to cook. If only I hadn’t been so poor and could have gone to Italy. However, I was poor, so Italy was not an option. I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for thirty years. I usually make a huge pot (10 quarts) at the beginning of every semester and freeze it, so we have something nourishing to eat when we don’t have time to cook. I also use organic ingredients, which I think taste better. However, I have fooled myself consistently during my time on Earth, so who knows?
- Brown rice (2-3 cups of cooked rice)
- Chickpeas (garbanzos) Two fabulous monikers! (2-3 cups) I’ve experimented with different kinds of beans and I’ve settled on these because they hold their shape, are tasty, and look great.
- Various fresh vegetables. Zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans, okra, corn (fresh is best, but organic frozen is good in winter), collards. Fresh okra is only available in the late summer. It adds a creamy texture that I love. I’m not all that fond of mushrooms, but I’m sure they’d work well. Don’t use frozen green beans. They just turn to mush in the soup.
- Garlic—I love garlic. Not only does it build your immune system, but you will never be bothered by vampires. I use two bulbs of garlic—not cloves but bulbs —and the soup will not be overpowered by the garlic. I promise. I try to find bulbs with the biggest cloves possible, because I’m lazy and taking the skins off the garlic is incredibly tedious. Buy a third bulb, because you’re going to need 4-5 whole cloves for the chickpeas.
- 3 medium yellow onion
- Lots of cold pressed extra-virgin Olive oil. I think Tuscan is best.
- 2 cans of Italian crushed tomatoes, Tuscan organic (This makes an incredible difference. The real Italian tomatoes are less sharp and acidic. Your soup will be creamier. The kind I buy are Bionaturae. The cans are 28.2 oz or 800grams)
- 1-2 cans of whole tomatoes (Bionaturae Tuscan, again) The number of cans depends on how tomato-y you want the soup.
- 3 kinds of pepper (black, cayenne, and red pepper flakes) I have been experimenting with pepper lately. I think each of these peppers impart a different kind of flavor to the soup. There is also a datil pepper sauce I use that is produced locally (in Tallahassee, Florida). It’s called Liquid Summer and can be ordered at www.sauceboss.com. You have to order a case, but people love to get this as a gift.
- Sea salt to taste
- Three bay leaves
Cook the brown rice and chickpeas separately. A quick way to cook the chickpeas is to cover them in boiling water, cover the pan, and let them sit for an hour. After they’ve soaked, rinse them two or three times. Don’t use the soaking water to cook them. You won’t believe the gas that will be created in your body as a result. Cook them in fresh water and add 4-5 whole cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, and a dollop of olive oil and salt to taste. Cook on a medium heat until just done. You don’t want them to be too mushy.
I have a rice cooker, so I set the timer and scoop out the rice when done. I also put a dollop of olive oil and salt before I press the button.
While these are cooking, cover the bottom of your soup pot with olive oil. Don’t scrimp here because of fat grams or any of that bs, because the soup will not taste as good, and you’ll want to add butter and more oil later, which will be much more fattening. Don’t turn on your stove until you’ve taken the skin off the garlic. You can pop the skins off the cloves by pressing down on them with the flat side of a wide knife. I don’t take the germ out because I’m cooking the garlic.
When you’ve skinned the garlic and are contemplating the chopping, turn on your stove to a low heat. When you finish chopping, dump the garlic in the warm oil, and cook it very slowly. Chop the onions now, and put them in with the garlic.
While the garlic and onions are cooking very slowly (don’t let the garlic brown), chop your vegetables. Chop the ones that take the longest to cook first. I start with green beans and then move on to the carrots and then to the zucchini, squash, okra, corn, and collards. As you finish chopping a vegetable, add it to the pot. The green beans take so long to prepare, the onions and garlic will be translucent by the time you are ready to add them. Stir each vegetable in and make sure it is coated in oil. Pretty soon there will be all kinds of vegetable juices to supplement the oil.
After all the vegetables are in, stir in the beans with a wooden spoon and make sure they are coated in oil. Raise the temperature to a medium heat. Now stir in the crushed tomatoes. Then add the whole tomatoes. I like to add them by hand and break them apart with my fingers. If the broth is too thick (and it probably will be) add a can or two of water.
Add the cooked rice. Fold in gently with a wooden spoon.
Add the peppers, salt, and bay leaves. Actually you can start adding the peppers and salt earlier with the vegetables. It’s up to you.
Let the soup cook on a medium-low heat until everything comes together—a couple of hours. Let it cool on the stovetop and then refrigerate overnight. When the soup is thoroughly cool, you can put in the freezer container of your choice. This soup will taste great six months later. It also mitigates the effects of heartbreak, car trouble, pet trauma, gossip, and family visits. I swear I’ve been dead, and it has revived me. I should call it Lazarus Soup.