Minestrina tricolore
This combination of sweet and savoury, creamy and crunchy is wonderfully comforting in the winter. The secret ingredient of this soup is the crust of the parmesan cheese. Ask your fromageur.
You can use all kinds of leftover vegetables, but remember to use different colours. Make sure to cut them all neatly the same size, that looks nice. This is a variation of Marcella Hazan's potato soup from "The Classic Kitchen".
Ingredients (for 4-6 persons)
50 gr risotto rice
300 gr potatoes, peeled and cut into tiny cubes
1 shallot, chopped
20 gr butter
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 winter carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes (5 x 5 mm)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (2 mm). Save the foliage for decoration
50 gr Green beans (in pieces of 5 mm) and / or green peas. If not in season, deepfrozen is a better choice.
100 gr grated parmesan
A parmesan crust (if you can get it)
250 ml of milk
500 ml stock (preferably home made of course)
50 gr pancetta or bacon or 25 gr hazelnuts
Method
Place the pancetta or bacon on baking paper in the oven at 90 degrees. Let them dry until crispy. If you prefer hazelnuts, chop them coarsely and put them in the oven until toasted. This will take 10-20 minutes.
Boil the rice in boiling salt water for 15 minutes, soft but still with a bite. Cover the potatoes cubes just barely with water, add a pinch of salt and bring them to the boil. Simmer until tender for 10 minutes and then mash with the water.
In the meantime, sweat the shallot in butter and oil, add the small dice of carrot, celery slices and green beans and fry on mediume heat for a few minutes. They still have to have a bite, don't forget that they are added to the soup and will have to suffer a bit more heat.
Add vegetables to the mashed potatoes with the milk, cheese and stock. And of course the crust, if you have it. Bring gently to a boil and keep stirring until the fat is incorporated. It should be a creamy soup. Add boiled rice and if you use peas they can also be added now. Remove from heat and check for flavor. Add salt and pepper. If the soup is too dense, you can add a little more water or milk. Let it sit for a few hours to develop the flavour.
Plates: Warm up your bowl, spoon in re-heated soup, cover with some grated cheese, the finely chopped celery leaves and the pancetta or roasted hazelnut. Add a nice sourdough crostini.