My Basic Minestrone

The line cook at the L'Opera once told me his recipe for basic minestrone. 

A heartwarming vegetable soup made from the most simple ingredients can become a powerful carrier of flavor and this basic stock can be the foundation of you version of Minestrone. It can be prepared in large batches in advance and stored in serving size containers in the freezer. Heat them slowly over a low flame until it barely simmers. 

 This recipe is good for about a liter of soup but go large or go small using the relative proportions. 

> 3 cups of water (or chicken broth) 

> 1/2 cup of onions diced 

> 1/4 cup of carrots diced to pea size 

> 1/4 cup celery stalks sliced pea size 

> 1 cup of chopped tomato (get the red ripe plumpkind) 

> cooking oil (olive oil if you can) 

> 1 strip of bacon (guanciale is better but smokey bacon will do) cut into half inch strips 

> 1 Knorr broth cube or 1 sachet of Magic Sarap (Omit if using chicken broth) 

> Salt and Pepper to taste 

 Set a medium soup pot to a medium flame

- pour 1 tbsp of oil and as wisps of smoke appear saute the bacon - you don't want crispy bacon, just cooked enough for the edges to brown ever so slightly 

- Add your vegetables all at once and stir until the aroma starts drifting into the kitchen 

- At this point you pour the water (or broth) into the pot and scrape away the browned bits of bacon if any at the bottom - allowing it to boil 

- As it comes to a boil lower your flame to a gentle simmer and lightly cover 

It's done when your tomatoes start breaking down - about 10-15 minutes Taste and add and salt and pepper as you desire. 

This soup will accept pasta (shells or macaroni), potatoes cubed, peas and string beans - even canned red beans as you like. I DO NOT recommend any leafy vegetabes like cabbage - doesntlook nice. With buttered crusty bread, it's actually enough for lunch