Fall Minestrone

Culinary Tools:

  • Chef’s Knife
  • 4-quart Dutch Oven
  • 3-quart Mixing Bowl
  • Round Slotted Masher

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup carrots, chopped
  • 1/3 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 ounce turkey bacon, diced
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1/3 pound Swiss chard leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup potato, cubed
  • 1/3 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/3 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2/3 (14 ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
  • 1/3 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2/3 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  • Pinch of fresh rosemary springs
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure:

With the Chef’s Knife, cut the vegetables according to the instructions.  Preheat the 4-quart Dutch Oven at medium heat for 4 minutes.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, turkey bacon and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  Add the Swiss chard and potato; sauté for another 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and rosemary sprig.  Cover with Redy-cook valve open.  When it whistles (3 minutes), reduce temperature to low, close valve and cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, add ½ of the black beans in the 3-quart Mixing Bowl and using the Round Slotted Masher, mash until fully puree.

In the 4-quart Dutch Oven, add bean puree, the remaining whole black beans, the beef broth and the parmesan cheese.  Cover with Redy-cook valve open and cook at medium heat.  When the valve whistles (approximately 2 minutes), add the parsley and reduce temperature to low.  Cover again with valve closed and cook for 10 more minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve hot.