As a child I hated vegetables, so much that the first time I ate a raw tomato with peel I had to be around 12 years old. Then suddenly I changed my culinary taste.
My little sister had a nanny who could not cook well but excelled in two dishes: meatloaf and minestrone. I must admit that it was she who made me love this dish so simple and healthy that I first abhorred.

Summer vegetable soup

  • Preparation time: 90 minutes
  • Ingredients for 4-6 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 200 gr or 7 oz of shelled borlotti beans
  • 2 courgettes (zucchini)
  • 2 potatoes
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 leek
  • 1 head of chard
  • 110 gr or 4 oz of green beans
  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 15 basil leaves or a teaspoon of pesto
  • Extra-virgin olive oil to taste
  • Vegetable broth to taste
  • Salt to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Chop the leaves of the basil and then add a little oil to avoid oxidation.
  3. Wash the vegetables and cut them into cubes. Cut the stems of the chard into cubes, setting the leaves aside.
  4. In a large saucepan, stew the leek, celery and carrots in a little oil. Then add the cut tomatoes and the potatoes. After a few minutes on high heat, add all the other vegetables, except the chard leaves and the beans. Add the vegetable stock in a quantity to cover the vegetables. Cook for at least an hour and a half; if the minestrone becomes too thick, stretch with a little hot water.
  5. When the vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat and add the leaves of the chopped chard. Also add the chopped basil.
  6. Salt. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • The minestrone must never be covered by the lid because the vegetables must not oxidize and must remain green.
  • Chiffonade cut is suitable for wide and thin leaf vegetables. It is done by joining the leaves in bunches, rolling them gently into a tube to prevent them from breaking (like making a Cuban cigar), then cutting them into thin strips.

Nanny Alda with my sister Mirta