Italian Minestrone with Pancetta

Ingredients

• 300 g waxy potatoes (2 medium waxy potatoes)
• 2 carrots
• 80 g white cabbage (or savoy cabbage)
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 stalk Celery
• 200 g Green beans
• 1 onion
• 1 Garlic clove
• 60 g pancetta (sliced)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 150 g peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)
• 120 g short pasta
• 2 sprigs Basil
• Salt
• black pepper (from the mill)
• 40 g freshly grated Parmesan (for serving)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel the potatoes and carrots. Dice the potatoes into about 1 cm cubes, cut the carrots lengthwise in 3-4 mm thick slices. Trim the hard leaf tips from the washed cabbage leaves and cut the savoy cabbage into squares about 3x3 cm. Score the underside of the washed tomatoes crosswise. In a small pot, use a slotted spoon to drop them into boiling water. Blanch until the skins burst. Remove with the slotted spoon and shock in ice water. Drain, peel off the skins with a small knife, and quarter the tomatoes. Remove the seeds and stem ends and cut the quarters into strips. Slice the washed and trimmed celery into rounds about as thick as the carrots. Trim the ends of the green beans, remove any strings if needed, and cut into 3-4 cm pieces. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Cut the pancetta with a kitchen knife into fine strips.

2. 2.

   Heat oil in a large, hot pot. Sauté the pancetta, onions, and garlic until colorless and translucent. Deglaze with about 1 l of water. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, and beans to the pot. Tie the thyme sprigs with kitchen twine, add them, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the tomatoes, peas, and pasta and continue simmering for about 10 more minutes.

3. 3.

   Wash the basil, shake off excess water, pluck the leaves, and cut into fine strips. Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup. Fold in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. 4.

   Serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan.