Driftless Organics Summer Vegetarian Minestrone

Our new Driftless Organics summer soups are coming along very nicely. This week we (yes I mean David) made a beautiful vegetarian minestrone using driftless CSA ingredients like cauliflower, zucchini, onions and green beans. Check out the picture! We used our CSA basil finely sliced and some shredded asiago cheese on top and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results. Soup, salads, and quiche have been our best way of absorbing the wide variety of veggies we get through our CSA box. Having a base soup or quiche recipe that can vary according to what's in season is key to not wasting those beautiful crops.

Driftless Organics Summer minestrone

Ingredients:

1 ¼ c Potatoes
4 ½ c vegetable broth
4 ½ cups cold water
3 Bay leaves
3 Sage leaves
2 sprigs Oregano
1-2 T Olive oil
2 t Dried Basil
2 t Dried Oregano
6 Cloves garlic diced
2 Carrots Coarsely chopped*
1 Red bell pepper coarsely chopped
1-2 small Zucchini quartered
¼ c red wine**
1 32oz can of tomatoes plus juice***
Fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

*vegetables can be substituted, Squash; cauliflower, eggplant, beans etc...Go for color!
** Balsamic vinegar is an excellent substitute.
***you can use more or less of the tomatoes depending on you personal taste.

Directions

Saute your potatoes for about 5-10 minutes* Set aside.
Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup pot
Add the onion and herbs and saute over medium heat until onions become soft, about 7-10 min
Add the garlic, peppers, zucchini, carrots **
Add the wine or rice wine vinegar, cook until the pan is almost dry
Add tomatoes plus juice
Add 1-2 t salt, and 3-4 pinches of pepper Simmer for 15-20 minutes
Add potatoes (any other vegetables left, beans, cauliflower, etc) and bay leaf
Simmer for an additional 20 minutes until potatoes and other veggies are soft
Season with salt pepper to taste
Top with fresh parmesan and finely stripped basil

* This will help with the breakdown of the potatoes in relation to the time it will take for the rest of the vegetables.
** Or other veggies, Be careful to adjust for time. Add vegetable with a longer cook time now, and ones with a shorter cook time later.