Minestrone soup clarification

[Richard Cavell]

Hi, everyone.

I made minestrone soup today, based on this recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/...inestrone-soup

I managed to handle the solid ingredients successfully. I just seek clarification on the liquid component. Is there *no* water used in the mixture? What is the final ratio of water, chopped tomatoes and passata?

What I want to achieve is something like "water that has a tomato flavour, plus the flavour of all the other ingredients".

[Andy M.]

The 2 liters of vegetable stock is there in place of the water. Stock has more flavor than water.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

The 2 liters of vegetable stock is there in place of the water. Stock has more flavor than water.

Yup, vegi stock is watery enough to count as water.

I don't see any passata in that recipe, just tomato puree, which is British for what North Americans call tomato paste.

[di reston]

My minestrone is composed of basic vegetables - onion, carrots, celery, then I add as many vegetables as I can put in the pot. Vegetable stock not necessary, just water. In some parts of Italy they do use off cuts of cockerel, legs, neck, head, but the main parts are generally used for main meals - after all, we're talking mains with that. Over here, there are lots of different ways of doing minestrone. Your minestrone can put in tomato passata or not, according to your taste - I've had spectacular minestrone without. I make my minestrone in a heavy pot, I make a 'soffritto' - basic vegetables like onion, celery and carrrot - sweated in Evoo, and thereafter add the other vegetables, that should all be cut more or less to the same size, or to a size that they should all be cooked at the same time.

Happy New Year

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde

[Rocklobster]

You could use a can of crushed tomatoes and then add water or stock until you get the consistency you desire...

[Mad Cook]

Originally Posted by taxlady

Yup, vegi stock is watery enough to count as water.

I don't see any passata in that recipe, just tomato puree, which is British for what North Americans call tomato paste.

Pasata is widely available over here in the UK (Sainsbury's, ASDA, Aldi, Tesco, Morrissons, the CO-OP, etc., etc.,) but puree is good if you are adding it to veg stock. If you want to use passata instead of veg stock but you haven't got any, you can substitute good quality tinned tomatoes. Just strain them, saving the juice, and push the pieces of tomato through the seive leaving just the seeds behind. A pain in the neck and passata is easier.

If you are using stock cube or the jelly stockpots, be careful with the salt you add because some of them have a lot of salt in them.

[Kevin86]

If minestrone is a tomato flavoured vegi soup why not use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of paste? The tomato more or less disintegrates into the broth if you want it brothy anyway?

[Richard Cavell]

Hi everyone,

I tried again with vegetable stock and tomato passata. This one has carrots, broccoli, potato, rice, penne and pepper. It's brilliant! I can make minestrone now! Thanks for your help!

Richard

[Andy M.]

I hope you wrote down what you did so you can have that brilliant soup again.

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by di reston

My minestrone is composed of basic vegetables - onion, carrots, celery, then I add as many vegetables as I can put in the pot. Vegetable stock not necessary, just water. In some parts of Italy they do use off cuts of cockerel, legs, neck, head, but the main parts are generally used for main meals - after all, we're talking mains with that. Over here, there are lots of different ways of doing minestrone. Your minestrone can put in tomato passata or not, according to your taste - I've had spectacular minestrone without. I make my minestrone in a heavy pot, I make a 'soffritto' - basic vegetables like onion, celery and carrrot - sweated in Evoo, and thereafter add the other vegetables, that should all be cut more or less to the same size, or to a size that they should all be cooked at the same time.

Happy New Year

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde

Thanks for that post. I was my impression that the right way to make minestrone depends on who's mother taught you to make it. It seems that a lot of Italian cooking is that way.

CD