This is my recreation of a soup from a long ago restaurant in Redwood City California called The Farmhouse. That was the best soup I have ever had, and this recipe was created with that soup in mind.

Soups & Stews

Farmhouse Minestrone Soup

• May 24, 2016

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Ingredients

• 1/2lb Dried White Beans (picked over and rinsed) 1/2 lb Dried White Beans
• 3/4lb Chopped Skirt Steak 3/4 lb Chopped Skirt Steak
• 3/4 cups Red Table Wine 3/4 cup Red Table Wine
• 1/4 cup Better than Bouillon Beef Base 1/4 cup Better than Bouillon Beef Base
• 8 cups Water 8 cup Water
• 1/2lb Pancetta or Sliced Lean Bacon (chopped) 1/2 lb Pancetta or Sliced Lean Bacon
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3 cups Onion (diced) 3 cup Onion
• 3/4 cups Carrot (diced in 1/2-inch pieces) 3/4 cup Carrot
• 3/4 cups Celery (diced in 1/2-inch pieces) 3/4 cup Celery
• 3 tablespoons Garlic (minced) 3 tablespoon Garlic
• 2 cups Zucchini (diced in 1/2-inch pieces) 2 cup Zucchini
• 4 cups Potatoes (diced in 1/2-inch pieces) 4 cup Potatoes
• 4 cups Green Cabbage (shredded) 4 cup Green Cabbage
• 4 cups Kale Leaves (chopped) 4 cup Kale Leaves
• 4 cups Baby Spinach 4 cup Baby Spinach
• 28oz Canned Tomatoes (drained and chopped) 28 oz Canned Tomatoes
• 1/4lb Datalini Pasta (or other small pasta) 1/4 lb Datalini Pasta
• Grated Parmesan (optional) Grated Parmesan
• Soft Italian Bread (optional) Soft Italian Bread
• Pancetta (optional) Pancetta

Directions

Day 1: -1 day

Step 1

In large bowl, soak beans overnight with enough water to cover by 2 inches.

Day 2: -2 hours

Step 2

Add salt and pepper to beef and set aside.

Step 3

Drain beans. In a saucepan, combine beans with enough water to cover by 2 inches; simmer uncovered until tender. Continue to step 2 while the beans cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, adding water to keep beans barely covered. Keep covered and remove from heat when beans are done.

Step 4

While beans are cooking, prepare the broth: In a large pot, add 1 Tbl olive oil and heat on medium high. Add beef and cook about 3-4 minutes to brown the beef. Add the wine and better than bouillon base and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes while you chop vegetables. Keep covered and remove from heat while you work on preparing the soup.

Day 2: -1 hour

Step 5

In heavy soup pot, cook pancetta in 2 Tbl oil, stirring, until crisp and pale golden, about 5 minutes.

Step 6

Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Step 7

Add carrots, celery and garlic; cook, stirring for about 4 minutes.

Step 8

Add potatoes and zucchini; cook stirring for about 4 minutes.

Step 9

Add kale, cabbage and baby spinach; cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Step 10

Add tomatoes and the beef and broth made in the above step. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes

Day 2: -15 minutes

Step 11

Add pasta to soup, stir, cover and continue to next step.

Step 12

Drain beans, but reserve 1 cup of liquid.

Step 13

Puree half the beans with 1 cup reserved liquid.

Step 14

Stir puree and remaining beans into soup; simmer uncovered 10 minutes.

Day 2: 0 minutes! Time to EAT!

Step 15

Season with salt and pepper to taste (I felt it didn’t need any). Serve topped with parmesan cheese and pancetta with soft italian bread on the side.

I have so many fond memories of the minestrone soup from the long gone Farmhouse Restaurant in Redwood City California. I found one recipe on the web that claimed it was the Farmhouse recipe, but it was missing a little something, so I altered it to match my memory. I came pretty close to my memory of that standout minestrone soup recipe. This soup really gets it’s complexity by the way the ingredients are layered together.

The original recipe can be found at the San Jose Mercury News website.
This soup takes 2 days to make if using dried beans.  I found that it did taste better with the dried beans, but if you are like me and forget to soak the beans, you can substitute with 3 cans of white beans. Soup can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Another recipe found online

I found this recipe online in a Q/A section of Yahoo. It is similar to what I have above, but I figured it’s best to give different recipe options. Here ya go!

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 pound dried white beans -- picked over and
-- rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound pancetta -- or sliced lean
-- bacon, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 onion -- chopped
1 large carrot -- cut into 1/2-inch
-- dice
1 rib celery -- cut into 1/2-inch
-- dice
3 garlic cloves -- chopped fine
2 zucchini -- scrubbed and cut
-- into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 pound green beans -- trimmed and cut
-- into 1/2-inch
-- pieces
1/2 pound boiling potatoes
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2 pound kale -- rinsed drained
-- leaves chopped
1 can tomatoes -- chopped coarse and
-- drained well
-- (28-ounce)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
freshly grated Parmesan, garlic bruschetta, and dry-cured sausages as accompaniments

1. In a large bowl let the white beans soak in enough water to cover them by 2 inches overnight or quick-soak them. Drain the white beans, in a saucepan combine them with enough water to cover them by 2 inches, and simmer them, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep them barely covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are tender. Add the salt and simmer the white beans for 5 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and let the white beans stand, uncovered.
2. In a heavy kettle cook the pancetta in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and pale golden, add the onion, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the carrots, the celery, and the garlic and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, the green beans, and the potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and the kale and cook the mixture, stirring, until the cabbage is wilted. Add the tomatoes and the broth and simmer the soup, covered, for 1 hour.
3. Drain the white beans, reserving the liquid, in a blender or food processor puree half of them with 1 cup of the reserved liquid, and stir the puree and the remaining white beans into the soup. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 15 minutes, thin it if desired with some of the remaining reserve liquid, and season it with salt and pepper. The soup may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the soup, thinning it with water as desired. Serve the soup with the Parmesan, the bruschetta, and the sausages.

And another recipe…

I haven’t tried this one, but I found it in a comment on a post.

Farmhouse Pasquinelli’s Minestrone

1/2 pound dried white beans, picked over and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 pound pancetta or sliced lean bacon, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large carrot and 1 rib celery, cut in 1/2-inch dice

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 zucchini and 1/4 pound green beans, in 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 pound boiling potatoes

4 cups shredded green cabbage

1/2 pound kale leaves, chopped

28-ounce can tomatoes, drained and chopped

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

Optional: grated Parmesan, garlic bruschetta, dry-cured sausage

1. In large bowl, soak beans overnight with enough water to cover by 2 inches.
2. Drain beans. In a saucepan, combine beans with enough water to cover by 2 inches; simmer uncovered until tender, 45 minutes to hour, adding water to keep beans barely covered. Add salt; simmer 5 minutes more.
3. In heavy soup pot, cook pancetta in oil, stirring, until crisp and pale golden. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic; cook, stirring, 4 minutes. Peel and cut potatoes into 3/4-inch dice. Add potatoes, zucchini and green beans to pot; cook, stirring, 4 minutes. Add cabbage and kale; cook until wilted. Add tomatoes and broth; simmer, covered, 1 hour.
4. Drain beans, but reserve liquid. Puree half the beans with 1 cup reserved liquid. Stir puree and remaining beans into soup; simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan, bruschetta and sausages. Can be made 3 days ahead.