The farmers market had a bunch of fresh spinach on sale this weekend and I was looking for a new way to cook it. I decided to throw it in a pot with some other classic Italian ingredients to make a dish that’s hearty. You can think of it as a thin pasta or a thick soup. Either way, it was so good that I ate three helpings.
In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m naming it Minestrone di Smeraglia. It’s basically just a variation of a classic peasant stew.
Here’s everything you need:
Minestra del Smeraglia
- 1 pound Hot Pork Sausage
- 1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 6-8 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 1/4 cup low sodium Chicken Stock
- 1 (35 oz) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- 2 (15.5 oz) cans Cannellini or Great Northern Beans, 1 drained and rinsed
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- I bag Spinach
- 1 pound Ditalini pasta
- 1 large pinch each, Salt & Pepper
In a dutch oven, cook the sausage. When it’s nicely browned and broken up, add the chopped onion and garlic. Sprinkle a large pinch of salt and pepper over the mixture and saute until the onions brown in the pork fat.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock. While the liquid is cooking off, crush the tomatoes with your hands.
Next, add the crushed tomatoes, 1 can of cannellini beans with liquid, 1 can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans, half a juiced lemon, and a sprig of rosemary to the pot.
Simmer the soup for about 45 minutes. After about 15 minutes, remove the rosemary. A little goes a really long way. What you’re trying to do is reduce and thicken the sauce by 1 1/2 inches or so. It should taste a little too salty and spicy when it’s done.
While you’re reducing the soup, go ahead and cook the pasta. Any small pasta will do. When it’s done cooking, run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Mix in a little olive oil or butter to keep the pasta from sticking.
And since I bought my spinach at the farmers market, it was a little dirty. I soaked it in a bath for about 10 minutes to rinse the leaves. Next, I pulled off the thick stems and gave everything a rough chop. If you’re using a bag of salad spinach, you can probably omit this step. Don’t bother using a box of frozen spinach. It’s just not the same.
Finally, add the cream to soup and mix well. The dairy should neutralize some of the spiciness and saltiness of the soup. Add the spinach and gently stir until it breaks down. At first, you wonder how it’ll all fit into the pot.
After a few minutes, it’s ready to serve. The sauce should still be spicy from the pork sausage, yet mellow from the tomato juice, chicken stock and cream. The spinach should still have a little firmness to it and the beans should be soft.
Don’t do like the chefs on TV and pour your cooked noodles into the pot of soup. They’ll overcook and get mushy. If you have 20 people over and everyone is going to eat one cup, then by all means, toss it all together. If you’re not going to finish the entire pot immediately, then let everyone add the pasta to their bowls. Garnish with some grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Next time I’ll make some bread to dip in the soup. If you don’t like spicy food, use mild sausage instead and add a little more chicken stock.
Tags: Cannellini, Soup, Spinach, Stew, Tomatoes
