Minestrone

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 100 g bacon, streaky
• 15 g tomato(s), dried
• 1 vegetable onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g carrot(s)
• 150 g celery
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 150 g green beans
• 300 g vine tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 stalks of thyme
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 2 sprigs of oregano
• 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 1 ½ liters of water
• 1 fennel bulb(s)
• 150 g soup noodles
• 1 zucchini
• 1 small can of white beans (400 g)
• 3 stalks of parsley, flat
• 3 stalks of basil
• 100 g Parmesan

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

1. Dice the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes. Quarter the onions and cut into strips. Slice the garlic. 2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot. Fry the bacon and tomatoes over medium heat for 3 minutes. 3. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes. 4. Peel the carrots and halve them lengthwise. Remove the strings from the celery. Halve the leek lengthwise and wash thoroughly. 5. Cut the carrot, celery, and leek diagonally into ½ cm wide pieces. Add to the pot and fry for 4 minutes. 6. Trim and halve the beans. Cut the tomatoes into large pieces. Tie the herbs together with kitchen string. 7. Add the tomato paste to the vegetables in the pot and fry briefly while stirring. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. 8. Add 1 ½ liters of water and bring to a boil. Add the herbs, beans, and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. 9. Clean the fennel, quarter it, and cut it into ½ cm wide pieces. Add the fennel to the pot and cook for 4 minutes. 10. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the package instructions until al dente, drain, and rinse in cold water. 11. Clean the zucchini, quarter it lengthwise, and cut it into 1 cm wide pieces. 12. Drain the white beans in a sieve and rinse in cold water. Add the zucchini and beans to the pot and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. 13. Pick the parsley and basil leaves, roughly chop them, and blend them finely with 6 tablespoons of oil in a tall, narrow bowl using a food processor. Season with salt. 14. Mix the pasta into the minestrone and heat through. Drizzle the minestrone with herb oil and serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.