# Italian food, not just pasta and pizza, how about minestra?



## flaminia (Jun 9, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I'm Italian and live in Italy, in a small town called Anguillara Sabazia, on Lake Bracciano. I've just prepared a minestra for lunch and wanted to share this healthy, economic food with you.

Even though things have now changed and younger generations prefer and meat-based diet, our grandparents literally lived on wheat (bread, pasta ) and vegetables.
 Its the combination of these two ingredients that makes the difference. What is a minestra? Its a little more that a soup, you could say a soup with pasta and legumes.

Try minestra di ceci. Chick-pea soup. In a tall, non stick pot put some olive oil. Add 2 cloves of garlic and fresh rosemary. Heat  up oil, not too hot, but let it absorb 
flavours. Take out garlic and rosemary . Add fresh red tomatoes, cut up or use ones from can, add boiled, tender chickpeas, salt and pepper. 

Cook without water  or very little water for 15 mins.Then add 2 or 3 cups of  water, when boiling add small pasta, not noodles  as they tend to become too soft, the pasta must remain chewy.Cook until pasta tender. Serve with sprinkling of parmesan cheese and black pepper... and enjoy

Come and visit our beautiful area.


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## Ozarkgal (Jun 9, 2013)

Flamina..welcome to  the forum and thanks for the recipe.  I will definitely try it, I have three huge rosemary bushes that are always begging for a yummy new recipe. 

 Hubby is half Italian...his sweet, dear old dad was from Bari. Hubby must have his pasta fix at least every two weeks. His dad taught us sisters-in law how to make braccioli, a bit of work, but so worth it in the end. Pasta e fagioli is a winter time fav around here.

Keep those great Italian recipes coming!


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## flaminia (Jun 9, 2013)

so happy you'll try it Ozarkgal, try also pasta e lenticchie, substitute chick-peas or beans with lentils. You can use fresh Rosemary for a variety of uses, which I'm sure you know, eg roast potatoes, roast lamb, but I bet you don't know this one....pizza bianca con rosmarino. Easy to make. Make some dough as if you were making bread, flour, water, yeast, a little sugar, a little salt and a bit of olive oil. Once doubled its size and ready for the oven flatten it out with your hands onto an oblong metal baking tray.  Switch on oven, really hot 220 C. Drizzle olive oil on top of White pizza, sprinkle salt on top and  Rosemary Leaves. Bake till crusty. Scrumptious. In Rome we eat pizza bianca and mortadella


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## That Guy (Jun 9, 2013)

It is said that some French king (don't recall which) married an Italian princess and when he brought her back to France she, of course, brought all her servants . . . including cooks.  And THAT is how the French learned to cook.

I love Italian food, Flaminia and will be right over for lunch!


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## flaminia (Jun 9, 2013)

Hello 'THAT GUY' how right you are. It was Caterina de Medici. She was born in Florence of the Italian father, Lorenzo and French mother. Orphaned early she was sent to France to marry Henry II : Soon widowed she became and remained ruler of France for 30 years. She , with her cooks and ice-cream makers. Some of the recipes that are said to derive from those days are crepes, canard a l'orange (duck) eclairs and onion soup.
We should also say though that it was customary to tag along cooks and servants when marrying a foreign ruler for safety reasons so as not to be poisoned by a jelous court


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## SifuPhil (Jun 9, 2013)

Oh, that sounds SO good! All we have in THIS country are cans of processed, overly-salted water with a few stale beans thrown in, and they have the nerve to call it "minestrone". 

My grandparents from my father's side came from Italy - somewhere in the North, not quite sure where - and I remember wolfing down their wonderful home-made meals as a child.


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## flaminia (Jun 10, 2013)

Hello SifuPhil, We are ever so lucky in this country, still lots of fresh fruit and vegetables available at a reasonable price: For Euro 1.00 - 1.50 per kg I can buy fruit and veg. galore, in the Rome area. In the North everything is more expensive. The North would be more of a risotto area  because of the flooded flat-lands, varese, pianura padana. They also eat a lot of polenta, grits


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## rkunsaw (Jun 10, 2013)

I grow most of the vegetables we eat and always like to try new recipes. Keep them coming and thanks for sharing.


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## flaminia (Jun 10, 2013)

*frittata di zucchine*

Hello everyone, apart from the fact that when I write out a 'g' on this computer it turns out to be a 'q' at your end, but never mind.....here is one versatile recipe.
Frittata di Zucchine. Zucchini omelette.

 You'll need: zucchini, onions, eggs, parmesan cheese, olive oil , parsley and one clove of garlic if you like it. 
 Slice onions and fry in a little olive oil, they must be 'blonde' as we say here. Do not get them too dark, just nice and tender.

 Get zucchini and divide each one  in 4 lengthwise, from each zucchini you get 4 strips, then cut each strip in little pieces.
 Add to the onion and fry together onions and zucchini until tender. 

Beat eggs, add salt and pepper, grated parmesan cheese, chopped  parsley and a little garlic. Pour mixture into the pan and let eggs set, do not scramble.

 Cook both sides of frittata. To turn it over without breaking apart I usually place a plate on the pan, tip the pan over so that the omelette is on the plate, then slide it back in pan. Buon appetito


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## JustBonee (Jun 11, 2013)

flaminia said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I'm Italian and live in Italy, in a small town called Anguillara Sabazia, on Lake Bracciano. I've just prepared a minestra for lunch and wanted to share this healthy, economic food with you.
> 
> ...



I'm Italian, and stuck in Texas.   Would love to visit your country. 
My great/grandparents came from Frigento and Torella dei Lombardi .... pictures of windy stone streets there look so inviting.

Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. ... will make the minestra di ceci at lunch time and report back. 
Please do keep your recipes coming!


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## flaminia (Jun 11, 2013)

Hello Boo's mom, the areas you mention are in the province of Avellino, South of Rome, Naples area.

 You must make a point of coming to visit Italy and stopping in Rome. If you need help with itineraries just advise me


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## JustBonee (Jun 11, 2013)

flaminia said:


> Hello Boo's mom, the areas you mention are in the province of Avellino, South of Rome, Naples area.
> 
> You must make a point of coming to visit Italy and stopping in Rome. If you need help with itineraries just advise me



Coming to Italy would require winning a large sum of money. ..  but I can dream.

As for your minestra di ceci .... benissimo!  I used cans of chunky tomatoes (Rotel) and spiral rotini, which I had on hand, and it is so good.  
I love lots of spices and herbs in food ... and also, any excuse to use mushrooms when I can.


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## flaminia (Jun 11, 2013)

so happy you liked it, next time you can substitute chick-peas with lentils or cannellini or borlotti beans.

 When you make the bean soup do add mushrooms, better if dried Portobello.  Here they are very expensive but you just need a little ,just for the flavour.


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## ewmello (Jan 4, 2014)

Wonderful recipe. Will be in Anguillara Sabazia in May 2014. Can't wait.


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## jrfromafar (Jan 4, 2014)

Benvenuto and grazie.... I will try it!


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