Lemony Minestra

by Letitia Clark, featured in For The Love Of Lemons

Published by Quadrille

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Introduction

A tub of ready-to-go cannellini beans is invaluable when you are short of time or what the Italians call voglia (which translates as ‘want’ or ‘desire’). Of course there are always tins, jars and cartons if you don’t have time to soak and cook them yourself, but if you have been fruitful and cooked them, they can sit in the refrigerator for a good few days and wait to be used. The added bonus of cooking them yourself is that you can flavour them with anything you wish (perhaps some onion or garlic; herbs such as bay, thyme, rosemary or sage; a sun-dried tomato or two; or any combination of these), and they make a great starting point for this broth.

I cooked these simply with water, a few tablespoons of oil, a clove or two of garlic and a sprig of rosemary, which meant they were the perfect bland carbohydrate-canvas to build on, and allowed the simple sweet and summery flavours of the other ingredients to stand out. You can use a stock cube or homemade stock as you wish.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

For The Love Of Lemons

Image of Letitia Clark's Lemony Minestra — Photo by Charlotte Bland

Ingredients

Serves: 2

Metric U.S.

1 red onion (sliced)
1 small celery stalk (diced)
1 clove of garlic (sliced)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 small courgettes (halved lengthways and sliced into crescents)
150 grams cooked cannellini beans with their juice
400 millilitres stock (vegetable or chicken is fine)
100 grams small frozen peas
sea salt
a handful of parsley (roughly chopped)
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
15 grams Parmesan or pecorino cheese (grated)
extra virgin olive oil (to serve)
dried chilli flakes (optional, to serve)

1 red onion (sliced)
1 small celery stalk (diced)
1 clove of garlic (sliced)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 small zucchini (halved lengthways and sliced into crescents)
1 cup cooked cannellini beans with their juice
generous 1½ cups stock (vegetable or chicken is fine)
3½ ounces small frozen peas
sea salt
a handful of parsley (roughly chopped)
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
3 tablespoons Parmesan or pecorino cheese (grated)
extra virgin olive oil (to serve)
red pepper flakes (optional, to serve)

Method

Lemony Minestra is a guest recipe by Letitia Clark so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, celery and garlic in the oil over a medium-low heat until beginning to soften and turn golden (around 10 minutes at least). Add the sliced courgettes and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables become golden and begin to caramelise (add a splash or two of water if necessary).
Once the courgettes are collapsing and caramelised, add the cannellini beans, stock and peas and allow to bubble for at least 5 minutes until the broth has thickened and gained a little flavour. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Cook, covered, until al dente (you may need to add a little more water at this point if necessary).
Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest and juice, grated cheese and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Scatter over the chilli flakes, if using.

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, celery and garlic in the oil over a medium-low heat until beginning to soften and turn golden (around 10 minutes at least). Add the sliced zucchini and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables become golden and begin to caramelise (add a splash or two of water if necessary).
Once the zucchini are collapsing and caramelised, add the cannellini beans, stock and peas and allow to bubble for at least 5 minutes until the broth has thickened and gained a little flavour. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Cook, covered, until al dente (you may need to add a little more water at this point if necessary).
Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest and juice, grated cheese and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Scatter over the chilli flakes, if using.