MLLA Minestrone and some vegetarian reflections

Every now and again I notice a gap in my recipe index.  Something that I make a lot but have never posted.  I love a big pot of minestrone on the stove.  It is a simple matter of throwing together lots of vegetables and pasta in a tomato sauce.  Easy, cheap, healthy.  What's not to love!

Once I started to make it last week I started questioning this version.  I found that every time I make it, I make it slightly differently.  So this is not the definitive version.  There isn't one.  It is however fairly representative of the types of minestrone I make and love.

Variations that I quite often make include tinned tomatoes instead of passata; other vegetables such as green beans, capsicum, zucchini, potato or even marinated vegetables; bayleaves and other Italian herbs (I used homemade stock that I know had herbs from the garden); ravioli instead of plainer pasta; spinach or kale instead of silverbeet; kidney beans, chickpeas or lima beans instead of cannelini or borlotti beans.  The list is endless.

I made this minestrone to eat with the Cheese and onion beer bread on the weekend.  It was easy enough to chop the vegetables while Sylvia had her bath.  (Dash out to the back garden for a handful of silverbeet.)  Let it simmer while I dried her and dressed in her pyjamas.  Once she was in bed, E and I sat down with a bowlful of stew.  We were left with plenty for a few lunches and a quick dinner during the week.

Lastly here are a couple of vegetarian reflections:

• The Age newspaper had an article on 4 June about a Vegetarian diet.  It is is reasonably positive but has an odd title: The Terrors of Tofu: the Real Risks of Turning Vegetarian.  (Thanks to  EssMick for the link.)  I was surprised that it advises people that they should talk to their doctor when they turn vegetarian.  Do people do this?  I don't think I did but I read about nutrition and spoke to friends who were vegetarian.
• I was really pleased to talk to a Queen Vic Market Stallholder at one of the cheese counters (the one near the door to the fruit and veg aisle that sells lots of butter) and find that they not only have quite a few vegetarian cheeses but they also label them so I don't need to keep asking questions.
• On our recent visit to the vet, he said he didn't know why people fed cats foods that simulated meat when you could feed them meat.  I said I was a vegetarian and understood why anyone might eat mock meat.  The nice thing was that he got it once I said it.
• Most days when Sylvia has been at child care and I ask what she had for lunch, she tells me (with glee) "vegetarian meat".  I think  it is a vegetarian schnitzel but when I ask the child care workers they tell me she only has that occasionally.

I am sending this to My Legume Love Affair (#48), founded by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted by Valerie of A Canadian Foodie this month.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Maple scones and trash and treasure
Two years ago: Advice for Gluten Free beginners and kids
Three years ago: GF Apricot and Cranberry Cake
Four years ago: Polenta Quinoa Sticks with Rhubarb Sauce
Five years ago: Kraut Rock Cupcakes

Minestrone
serves about 6

Slurp of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 celery sticks, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
3-4 garlic bulbs, finely chopped
1/8 cabbage, diced
2 cups vegetable stock
2 and 1/2 cups water
700ml passata (pureed tomatoes or can used tinned tomatoes)
2 x 400g tins of beans (I used cannelini and borlotti)
handful of silverbeet, roughly chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 and 1/2 cups small pasta pieces
black pepper, freshly ground
pesto, torn basil or grated parmesan, to serve

Heat olive oil in stockpot.  Chop vegetables in that order that they appear in the ingredients list and as they are ready throw them in the pot, stirring occasionally.  Once the cabbage is added, stir for another 5 or so minutes.  Add stock, water, passata, beans, silverbeet, red wine and salt.  Check seasoning and add more salt if necessary (it will depend on your stock).  Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add pasta and simmer for another 25 minutes or until pasta is cooked.  Add black pepper.  Check and adjust seasoning again.  Serve with basil, pesto or parmesan.

On the Stereo:
The Essential Klaus Schulze 72-93