Hunter’s Minestrone
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
—
Cook Time:
40 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 servings
Ingredients
* 2 quarts chicken stock
* 1 head garlic, halved
* 1/2 pound small rigatoni
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 8 fresh sage leaves OK to use dried herbs near end of cooking with carrots,etc.
* 1 sprig fresh rosemary
* 1 sprig fresh thyme
* 3/4 pound loose sweet Italian pork sausage OK to use chicken or turkeysausage
* 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
* 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
* 1 onion, roughly chopped
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 (28-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
* Coarsely ground black pepper
* 12 slices baguette
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. Keep warm.
Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.
Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. Add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
To the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and stir into the simmering soup. Add the parsley, and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.
To serve, preheat the broiler. Put the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and float a couple of the baguette slices on top.
Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Tue Dec 15 2009
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