National Soup Month

According to a Wild Harvest Organics post on my Facebook page, January is national soup month. What next, a Hallmark card to commemorate the holiday?

Since it's national soup month, I thought I'd do my part by making a lot of soup in the next couple of weeks. I got this recipe from an episode of "Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello." Chef Chiarello is one of my favorite Food Network chefs and I actually had the pleasure of meeting him when I dined at his restaurant Bottega last May when I made a visit to my son in the Napa Valley. The restaurant was beautiful and the food was fantastic, but for me the highlight of the evening came when Chef Chiarello came to our table, sat down beside me and put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek and posed for a photograph with me. That photo now graces the wall of my kitchen, along with the note he wrote for me which reads "Use your great smile while you cook." It was a very special evening.

So thanks, Chef Chiarello, for your hospitality and for this great minestrone recipe.

NOTE: I've made some minor modifications to his recipe by substituting Italian sausage for pancetta (which I can't seem to find with any regularity at any local grocery stores) and adding a larger can of crushed tomatoes. I also substituted basil for rosemary. By the way, this makes A LOT of soup (probably about 4 quarts). My husband asked me what army I was cooking for....

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

2 cup (8 ounces) mini-wheel pasta

Extra-virgin olive oil

6 cups chicken stock

6 Italian sausage links, casings removed

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 cups finely chopped yellow onions (1 medium onion)

1 cup small-diced celery (2 medium stalks)

1 cup small-diced carrots (2 to 3 medium carrots)

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes (I used Hunts with Basil)

2 small-diced zucchini

2 cups small-diced, peeled russet potatoes (1 large russet)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to a baking sheet. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

In a large saucepan, over high heat, heat 1/4 cup oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the Italian sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook thoroughly. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and carrots.

Cook until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent browning. Add the beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. Add the chicken stock and bring soup to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add chopped basil. Season generously with pepper. Add salt, to taste. Just before serving, add the cooked mini-wheel pasta. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.