Francesco Mattana’s Live to 100 Minestrone

Francesco Mattana's Live to 100 Minestrone as seen and heard on The Recipe podcast.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
4 people

Used in this recipe

Ingredients

100g dried borlotti (cranberry) beans or 250g (9oz) tinned borlotti beans
100g dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 250g (9oz) tinned chickpeas
1 onion, roughly diced
2 celery sticks, chopped into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
15g (1/2 oz) basil
15g (1/2 oz) parsley, finely chopped
3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped (or halved if using small tomatoes)
1 large potato, peeled and chopped into 2cm (3/4) cubes
4 large Savoy cabbage leaves, tough stalks removed and roughly chopped
40g (1 1/2oz) pecorino or Grana Padano, grated, or 4 tablespoons Pangrattato
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g Fregula (optional)

Method

If using dried beans and chickpeas, the night before, wash them in cold water. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with fresh cold water; they will expand as they soak, so make sure the container is large enough and there is plenty of water.
Cover the bowl and leave them to soak for at least 12 hours (or longer – check the packet). The next day, drain and then rinse the beans and chickpeas thoroughly with fresh water. Set aside.
Place a large casserole dish (Dutch oven) or ceramic pan over a medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, carrots and olive oil and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Now add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Tear the basil leaves and stir them in along with the chopped parsley and cook for another minute.
Next, add the tomatoes and potato, give everything a stir and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes are starting to soften.
Add the drained beans and chickpeas and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Cover with water and bring it to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat back to medium, cover and cook for 1–1 1/2 hours, or until the beans and chickpeas are soft.
If needed, top up with water so that the vegetables are always submerged.
Once the beans and chickpeas are cooked, add the cabbage, cover and cook for a fi nal 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
To serve, use a slotted ladle to divide the vegetables, beans and chickpeas equally between serving bowls, then pour over the warm broth.
Sprinkle with cheese or pangrattato and drizzle over some olive oil.

Top Tips

If you want to save time or you are making this at the last minute, you can swap out the dried pulses for 250g (9oz) tinned borlotti beans and 250g (9oz) tinned chickpeas.
If using tinned, add them along with the cabbage.
Sometimes we also add fregula or small pasta shapes towards the end of the cooking time to add some more carbs, along with some extra water. This makes it more filling.
My advice would be to use my recipe as a guide but try to make it seasonal and make it your own, just like we do in Sardinia.
Swap things in and out – if you prefer to use different pulses or different greens, you can try chard (silverbeet), cavolo nero (lacinato kale), courgette (zucchini), cauliflower … the list goes on.
If tomatoes aren't in season you can use tomato paste instead.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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