Hearty Minestrone Soup

Well, about two-weeks ago, sunny Southern California was experiencing some late Spring showers and it was the perfect opportunity to make one last batch of homemade soup before the Summer season with all the bbqing rolls in!  So, I thought what the heck, why not make some homemade minestrone soup!  I refused to look at one recipe and made this from scratch and wrote it down as I went along, I have to say I was very pleased and satisfied with this hearty meal! 

Again, bare with me, I decided to do this blog after I did some cooking, so soon pictures will be up!

What you'll you need (Ingredients):

• 2 quarts of chicken stock
• 6 stalks of celery diced
• 6 cloves of fresh minced garlic (your see that this ingredient is a staple in almost all my recipes!)
• 6 carrots, washed, peeled and cut in small rounds
• 2 yellow onions peeled and diced (I usually used Maui onions because they are nice and sweet!)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of dry red or white wine (I used Pinot Grigo the first time, but you can easily use a red, I usually just make sure it is a good bottle)
• 3 tablespoons of fresh minced basil
• 2 tablespoons of fresh minced oregano
• 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary
• 1 large can (28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes, plus an additional 1/2 can or 14ounce can
• 1 can (15 ounces) of drained chickpeas
• 1 large can (30 ounces) of kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper (you can tone this down a bit if you don't want a kick)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package of pasta shells (I use medium for the hearty texture, but some folks like the smaller size shells)
• Large pot for soup
• Large pasta pot to boil shells

OK, you've shopped, now what!:

• Coat pan with 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat
• Add celery, onion, garlic and carrots and saute for about 5 to7 minutes, until the onions are translucent and carrots and softened
• Add 1/2 cup of good dry wine--let this reduce for just a few minutes while boiling
• Add chicken stalk
• Add all herbs
• Add crushed tomatoes
• Add chickpeas, kidney beans (be sure that they are drained!)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bring all ingredients to a boil and then simmer on low for about 1/2 hour
• In the meantime heat up some hot water in a pasta pot with some a drizzle of olive oil and salt to cook the shells
• The last 12 minutes your soup is cooking boil pasta and drain (I add 6 cups of the pasta if I am using larger shells, the rest you can reserve for a small pasta salad or go for it and throw them all in there, but if you do that add a little more stalk in the beginning)
• Immediately add hot pasta to pot of soup
• Dish and garnish with lots of fresh Parmesan cheese and warm french bread!  This goes great with a glass of Chianti too!

Mangia!!!!