Minestrone Soup From Super Bowl Party

[Jack and Kay Hartman]

This minestrone comes from Patricia Wells' _Trattoria_. Although she
claims this recipe serves 4 to 6, I'd like to know 4 to 6 what? The
recipe makes a lot of soup. I made a recipe and a half for our Super
Bowl party of 10 people. We ate hearty and ate less than half.

Kay

Minestrone alla Milanese
Milanese Vegetable Soup

1 cup (6 ounces; 180 g) dried small white (navy) beans (cannellini
or toscanelli)
4 tablespoons (2 ounces; 60 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces; 60 g) minced pancetta (see Note)
2 medium onions, minced
Sea salt to taste
2 medium carrots, diced
5 to 6 ribs celery hearts with leaves, cut into thin crosswise pieces
1 cup (4 ounces; 125 g) trimmed and diced green beans
1/2 small white cabbage (12 ounces; 375 g), shredded
2 medium boiling potatoes (12 ounces; 375 g), peeled and diced
2 quarts (2 l) water
One 16-ounce (480-g) can imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their
juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup (6 ounces; 180 g) Italian Arborio rice
About 1 cup (4 ounces; 125 g) freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-
Reggiano cheese

1. Rinse the beans, picking them over to remove any pebbles. Place
the beans in a large bowl, add boiling water to cover, and set aside
for 1 hour. Drain the beans, discarding the water. Set aside.

2. In a 6-quart (6-l) heavy-bottomed stockpot, melt the butter over
low heat. Add the pancetta, onions, and salt, and stir to coat with
the fat. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 3 to 4
minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and drained white beans, cabbage,
potatoes, and the 2 quarts (2 l) water. Place a food mill over the
stockpot and puree the tomatoes directly into it. Cover, bring to a
simmer over moderate heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to
taste with salt and pepper, and continue simmering until the beans
are softened and tender, about 30 to 60 minutes more. (Cooking time
will vary according to the freshness of the beans.) Add the rice,
and simmer just until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite,
about 20 minutes more. Taste for seasoning.

3. To serve, stir several tablespoons of the cheese into the soup.
Ladle the soup - piping hot - into warmed shallow soup bowls, and
pass the remaining cheese separately. (The soup, of course, may be
reheated several times over a period of several days. The soup will
thicken. Simply add additional water each time you reheat the soup.)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Note: If unsmoked Italian pancetta is not available, use a lean top-
quality bacon. Blanch it for 1 minute in boiling water, then drain
thoroughly. Blanching will remove the smoked flavor from the bacon
without cooking it.