Preparation

• For my winter minestrone, I chose borlotti beans.

  Prepare the beans following the procedure described in cooking beans in a pressure cooker | basic recipe or, if you already have them ready in the freezer, defrost them.

  Alternatively, you can use packaged pre-cooked beans.
  Remember to rinse them well under running water: canned legumes often contain additives, salt, and sometimes sugar.
  Among the types of packaging, glass containers are preferable to tin containers as they are less prone to spoilage.

  

• For my winter minestrone, I chose Sicilian broccoli.

  Clean the broccoli

• Cut the broccoli into florets and slightly score the stems of the florets with a knife. 

  Place the florets in a colander and rinse them thoroughly under running water.
  * for a more thorough cleaning, soak the florets in water with a bit of baking soda for at least 20 minutes.

  Boiled Sicilian broccoli
  When boiling, use as little water as possible to best preserve their beneficial properties.

  In a pot, bring salted water to a boil.
  Add the broccoli florets and a pinch of baking soda to keep them a bright green color and cook for about 8-10 minutes until they are tender without falling apart.

  Cooking time for broccoli
  – 8 minutes for firm broccoli that retains its shape;
  – 10 minutes for softer broccoli perfect for blending or making into a cream;
  evaluate based on the desired texture.

  With a slotted spoon, gently remove the broccoli florets and transfer them to a container.

  Don’t discard the cooking water; we will need it for cooking the pasta.

  

• For my winter minestrone, I chose Sicilian kohlrabi.

  Clean the kohlrabi

  

• Remove the tough and damaged outer leaves, selecting the small and tender inner leaves.

  With a knife, peel the turnips at the base of the kohlrabi and cut them into cubes or dice.

  Gather leaves and turnips in a colander and rinse them thoroughly under running water.

• Clean and wash:
  – onion;
  – celery;
  – leek;
  – pumpkin.

  You can add the vegetables cut into large pieces or chopped according to taste and need.

• In a saucepan, pour in:
  – 2.5 cups of water;
  – a pinch of salt.

  Add:
  – onion;
  – celery;
  – leek;
  – a vegetable broth cube [optional, for additional flavoring];
  and bring to a boil.

  Add:
  – kohlrabi leaves and turnips;
  – pumpkin;
  cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.

  Add:
  – broccoli;
  – beans;
  already cooked and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

  Color and flavor with:
  – as needed tomato sauce;
  and stir.

  Adjust for salt.

  With the flame off, add a sprig of rosemary and a few sage leaves, grind the pepper, cover with a lid and let it infuse.

  

• The vegetable and legume minestrone is delicious with pasta, rice, or bread, preferably whole grain to increase fiber content.

• In the case of brothy first courses, to avoid glycemic spikes, it is advisable to cook the pasta separately and then rinse it and add it to the prepared brothy sauce; this way, the starch released by the pasta in the cooking water is eliminated.

  Cook the pasta al dente in the broccoli cooking water if you saved it, drain it and rinse it quickly under running water.

  Meanwhile, bring the winter vegetable and legume minestrone back to a boil.
  Remove the sprig of rosemary and the sage leaves from the pot.

  Add the pasta and stir.

  Plate.
  Grind the pepper and drizzle with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

  Your pasta and winter vegetable and legume minestrone is ready.

  Enjoy your meal!

• 

• Pasta and vegetable and legume minestrone is a complete dish; add your portion of vegetables to create a balanced meal or single dish that helps maintain stable blood sugar.