Pasta e Patate Minestra, Potato and Pasta Soup Recipe
I have often skipped over this recipe thinking that there isn't much to it. I was completely wrong, every nation has it's own favourite potato soup and this is loved in Italy.
This Pasta e Patate Minestra is exceptional because it is flavoured with the rinds from your Parmesan or Pecorino that you normally throw away. In fact using the rinds in stock when you next make a spag bol will improve it, just fish them out at the end.
You need some left over boiled tatties. An onion, carrot, garlic, bacon if using, a veg stock pot, some basil, cheese rinds and some more grated Parmesan or Pecorino, and some pasta.
So in one pan gently fry in olive oil and a bit of butter a finely chopped onion and carrot cut up very small and a some rashers of diced bacon (if using), after a few minutes add crushed garlic, then a minute later when you can smell the garlic add a few halved or quartered toms. Keep the mixture moving on a low heat and sweat the veg and bacon till very soft but not coloured, add potatoes cut into pieces that aren't too small but would fit on a soup spoon and continue.
In a separate pan make your stock by adding a veg stock pot to a litre or so of water, then add the hard end parts of the cheese rind, reserving any hard but edible bits. Then add some basil and simmer for five mins. Now remove the bits of cheese and leaves, and add your stock to the veg and bring to a simmer. Add a handful of pasta and cook for about three minutes less than cooking time. Then try your pasta, it should be al dente but not too hard, check seasoning. Add any small squares of reserved cheese, stir round and serve with more grated cheese and a bit of Basil.
Enjoy
