Recipe: Minestra (Soupe Paysanne) / Corsican Country Soup

Minestra (Soupe Paysanne)/Corsican Country Soup
(Corsica)

This is the most famous of all the Corsican soups. Shepherds would take some leftover with them into the mountains to eat cold. Besides the vegetables in the recipe below (the potatoes and tomato from the New World), some cooks also use carrots, celery, zucchini, leeks, and dandelion depending on the season.

1/4 pound pork fat, chopped
2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small head green cabbage (about 1 1/ 2 pounds), cored and chopped
3/4 pound Swiss chard leaves (no white part), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 cups water
1/2 pound red kidney beans (about 1 cup), picked over
One ham or smoked bacon chunk with bone (about 1/ 2 pound)
1 large tomato (about 10 ounces), peeled, seeded and chopped
6 slices day-old French country bread or 1/ 4 pound lasagne sheets
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

In a large casserole or soup pot, cook the pork fat over medium-high heat until there is some fat in the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes, stirring, then add the potatoes, cabbage, chard, onion, and garlic until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, add the beans, ham or smoked bacon, and tomato, and cook until the beans are tender, 2 to 3 hours.

Add the slices of bread or lasagne and continue to cook until a spoon can stand straight up in the center of the soup and, if using lasagne, the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Makes 8 servings