Monday 26 November 2012

Meat-Free Monday: ravioli minestrone

In case you hadn't noticed, last weekend I met Nigella Lawson. And as a bonus, I got a copy of her new Nigella-style Italian cookbook Nigellissima.

As I mentioned, I didn't particularly like the accompanying TV series, but now I have had a chance to peruse the book properly, there is a lot that I am tempted to cook. This soup was the first cab off the rank. It's a green minestrone (i.e no tomatoes) with the pasta element supplied by a pack of spinach and ricotta ravioli. It's also given some extra body by pureeing a portion of the vegetables with a handful of parmesan and a pile of basil leaves.

I did make a few changes to the recipe - I didn't have any fine beans but I did have runner beans, and I didn't want too much leftover so I left out the potato, courgettes and cannelini beans. Omitting those starchy bits meant that it probably isn't as thick and rich as intended, but it was a very nice, hearty supper. The basil puree mixture really lifted the flavours. A good start for a new cookbook.


4 comments:

leaf (the indolent cook) said...

I like the idea of a green minestrone. Looks so comforting too!

grace said...

this dish sounds very tasty to me--i'm a pea aficionado! in nigella we trust. :)

hungryandfrozen said...

Still yet to get this book, I'm sure I will eventually though - I like the sound of the puree in this. I always forget how delicious minestrone is, it never sounds particularly exciting, but after making it - especially the next day - I wonder why I don't make it more often.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Leafy - it's a good variation.

Grace - peas are such a good standby.

Laura - I think because you can only really make it in big vats, it gets a bit daunting sometimes.

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