MINESTRONE

MINESTRONE IS NOT A LIGHT UNDERTAKING. Any way you cut it, there is a lot of dicing and chopping. Given the amount of preparation, we thought it was important to discover which steps and ingredients were essential and which we could do without. Could everything be added to the pot at once, or is it necessary to precook some of the vegetables? Was stock essential, or could we use water, as do many traditional Italian recipes? How many vegetables were enough? And which ones?

While we wanted to pack the soup with vegetables, we were also determined to create a harmonious balance of flavors. Minestrone should be a team effort, with each element pulling equal weight. From the start, we decided to jettison vegetables that were too bold (such as broccoli) as well as those that were too bland and would contribute little flavor to the soup (such as button mushrooms).

We wanted to devise a basic technique for preparing the soup, and our research turned up two possible paths. The majority of recipes dump the vegetables into a pot with liquid and simmer them until everything is tender. A few recipes call for sautéing some or most of the vegetables before adding the liquid (along with any vegetables that would not benefit from cooking in fat, such as spinach).

Although we expected the soup with sautéed vegetables to be more flavorful, it wasn't. We then prepared three more pots without sautéing any of the vegetables. We added homemade vegetable stock to one pot, homemade chicken stock to a second, and water and the rind from a wedge of Parmesan cheese to the third.

The results were unexpected. The soup made with vegetable stock tasted one-dimensional and overwhelmingly sweet; because the vegetables were already sweet, using vegetable stock, which is also fairly sweet, did not help to balance the flavors. We realized we wanted the liquid portion of the soup to add a layer of complexity that would play off the vegetables. The soup made with chicken stock seemed to fit the bill. It was rich, complex, and delicious. However, the chicken flavor overwhelmed the vegetables. Diluting the stock with water wasn't the answer; this resulted in a rather bland soup. Ultimately, we preferred the soup made with water and the cheese rind. The Parmesan gave the broth a buttery, nutty flavor that contrasted nicely with the vegetables without overshadowing them.

We wanted the vegetables to soften completely but not lose their shape, and an hour of gentle simmering accomplished this. Much longer and the vegetables began to break down; any less time over the flame and the vegetables were too crunchy. We liked the concentrating effect of simmering without the lid on.

We also looked at several recipes that added some fresh vegetables at the end of the cooking time. This sounded like a nice idea, but the fresh peas and green beans added 10 minutes before the soup was done tasted uncooked and bland compared with the vegetables that had simmered in the flavorful soup for an hour. For maximum flavor, all the vegetables, even ones that usually require brief cooking times, should be added at the outset.

The addition of the cheese rind was an interesting find. During our research, we also turned up two other flavor boosters that could replace the cheese rind and be added to the soup from the start: rehydrated porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid, and pancetta (unsmoked Italian bacon). The pancetta proved to be a better team player.

Pancetta must be sautéed to render its fat and release its flavor. We cooked a little pancetta until crisp in some olive oil, then added the water and vegetables. Like the cheese rind, the pancetta contributed depth. But while cheese rind gave the soup a buttery, nutty flavor, the pancetta added a very subtle flavor of pork and spice. We tried regular American bacon as well. It was a bit stronger and lent a smoky element to the soup. In the recipe variation below, we prefer the subtler flavor of the pancetta, but either pancetta or smoked bacon make for a much more flavorful soup than one made with water alone.

Up until this point, we had focused on ingredients that went into the soup pot at the start. But many traditional Mediterranean recipes stir in fresh herbs or herb pastes just before the soup is served. Pesto is the most common choice, and we were hooked from the first time we added it to the soup. The heat of the soup releases the perfume of the basil and garlic and creates another delicious layer of flavor. A simple mixture of minced fresh rosemary, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil was also delicious. As with the pesto, the oil adds some fat to a soup that is otherwise very lean. The rosemary and garlic combo is very strong and must be used in smaller quantities than the pesto.