Milanese Minestrone Soup ''Minestrone alla Milanese''

Lombardy

Cooking time: 3 hours Difficulty: Ingredients, amounts for 6 people: basil: carrots: 3 onion: 1 pork rind: 5 oz 'borlotti' or kidney/cranberry beans (already soaked): 9 oz grated Parmesan cheese: lard: 2 oz pancetta (Italian spiced bacon): 3 ½ oz potatoes: 3 pepper: fresh peas: 1 lb 2 oz ripe tomatoes: 1 lb 2 oz parsley: rosemary: salt: sage: celery: 2 stalks savoy cabbage: 1 courgettes: 2

Preparation: Prepare and wash all the vegetables. Chop finely the parsley, sage, rosemary and the onion. Cut the pancetta and the pork rind into sticks. Put all these ingredients into a saucepan and fry slowly until the onion is softened and reduced in volume, add the potatoes left whole and all the vegetables cut into small slices, except for the savoy cabbage. Cover with three liters of water, add salt and pepper to taste and leave to cook slowly on low heat for two and a half hours. Next, add the savoy cabbage cut into small slices and without the central core, and the peas. Leave to cook for a further 20 minutes. Check that the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to break up, otherwise mash them with a fork to thicken the soup. Add the rice or pasta and cook for the time indicated. Serve with generous amounts of grated Parmesan cheese. This delicious minestrone soup can be eaten either hot or cold, according to the time of year.