Recipe(tried): Minestrone/Favorite Cookbook

I made a big pot of Minestrone for a cold, snowy day here in Michigan. Along with the soup, I made some crusty French bread. This recipe is from my all-time favorite cookbook, "Eat, Drink and Be Chinaberry." You can't buy it in stores, just from the Chinaberry Book Service, which is a wonderful children's/family book catalog. They are also on-line with a pretty nice website. Anyway, every recipe I have ever tried from it has been wonderful. It is one of those collaborative cookbooks where Chinaberry readers have sent in their favorite recipes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Question for KitchenLink friends: What are your favorite cookbooks?

Here is the recipe . . .

MINESTRONE

1 lb. shin beef with bone (or beef ribs)
4 quarts cold water
3 T salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 cup dried kidney beans
1 onion
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 cups shredded or diced cabbage
2 T. olive oil
2 cups carrots
1 cup celery
3-1/2 cups canned tomatoes (1 large can)
1-1/2 cups spaghetti, broken up
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
10 oz. frozen peas
Parmesan

The day before serving:
In large kettle, place shin beef, water, salt, and beans. Boil, then cover and simmer 3 hours.

In olive oil, saute garlic, onion, parsley, ground beef, and pepper until beef is done.

Remove beef from soup and cut from bone. Add meat back into soup along with ground beef mixture, celery, carrots, cabbage and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. REFRIGERATE UNTIL NEXT DAY.

Next day: Skim fat from soup. Bring to boil and add spaghetti, zucchini and peas, Cook, covered, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan.