Gibraltar / Bread
Minestra
Minestra is a typical Genoese dish, not to be confused with the Basque ‘menestra’ which is simply mixed boiled vegetables, or with Italian minestrone, a thick vegetable soup.
Ingredients
- courgettes, roughly diced2
- aubergine, roughly diced1
- pumpkin, roughly diced1 piece
- onion, roughly diced1
- kohlrabi, colinabo; roughly diced1
- turnips, roughly diced2
- vegetable stock1 UK pint
- olive oil
- garlic1 head
- fresh basil
- kidney beans, dried; soaked overnight
- fideua (spaghetti), fideua
- salt
- pepper
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 5 steps
Combine the courgettes, aubergines, pumpkin, onion, and kohlrabi in a large pot or pressure cooker. Add the vegetable stock and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to pressure and cook for 8–10 minutes, or simmer for 1 hour. Cool, then purée the whole thing.
Place a large handful of basil leaves and about 6 cloves of garlic in a mortar and pound until roughly crushed and a gritty paste is achieved. Add to the pot, stir and season to taste.
Meanwhile, boil the beans separately until soft, then add to purée mixture.
Boil the pasta until al dente then add to mixture.
Serve with grated Parmesan or hard Edam sprinkled over it.