Minestra Tuscana (soup)

I haven't cooked anything since last Tuesday. Just haven't been in the mood. I ate out way too much, so here are a few old recipes that were very good.

Minestra Tuscana
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 139

½ cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups white wine
1 bouquet garni (sprigs of thyme, oregano, bay leaf tied together)
salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, julienned
1 red pepper, julienned
1 zucchini, diced
16 spinach leaves
½ cup olives (black or green, pitted), sliced
½ cup Italian rice or equivalent
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion for about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, bouquet garni, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low-medium.

Add the carrots, pepper, zucchini, spinach and olives. Cover the pot and cook slowly for 1 hour. Add the rice and more broth or water if needed, simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Remove the boquet garni. Serve hot. Top with grated cheese.

How I did it: I used vegetable broth which made the soup very light. Using chicken broth would make it heartier.

This is a nice light vegetable soup. Very good. Worth repeating.