guest blog : minaste, an italian new year's meat soup.

photos taken by my Aunt Gina

I'm back! I cannot believe that it has been over three weeks since I last posted on here. I was out-of-town until the beginning of the month, then I got sick, and then my computer was hit by a deadly virus. But now I am feeling much better and I have a brand new computer, so posts should be coming much more frequently. I have missed all the baking.

To start, I would like to share a recipe that comes from my mother, something that has been made in my family for years. It was made yet again this New Year's day and it filled the whole house with a mouth-watering smell. Luckily for me, a vegetarian version was also made and I was able to enjoy a delicious and hearty meal with everyone else. Thanks Mom for guest blogging and to my aunt for taking photographs.



"My Italian family is from Benevento, a little city about 50 miles from Naples. There are many dishes that come from that region, some that are only served on specific holidays. Minaste, or as my aunts pronounce it, “ah minaste,” is a dish served on New Year’s Day. It is incredibly delicious and hearty, but quite heavy due to the amount of meat used to prepare it. It is the meat cooking for hours that creates the wonderful broth. I eat very little meat these days but decided to prepare it for the men in my life who can’t imagine their lives without dead pig in it. For the more health conscious, I attempted a vegetarian version. This dish is best served with crusty Italian bread to sop up the juice, and a variety of mustards to squirt your favorite on top. Don’t forget the glass of red wine or cold dark ale."

Minaste : Italian New Year's Soup

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds beef short ribs
1 small cooked ham, chopped in large pieces
2 sticks of pepperoni
Head of cabbage, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 heads of escarole
5-6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Brown garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a very large pan. Add short ribs and brown on all sides. Add ham and brown, and then cover with water – approximately four cups. Be sure there is enough water to create a soupy broth. Add a couple of pinches of salt and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for at least two hours. Add water if it begins to evaporate.

In separate pot, cook potatoes and cabbage until tender. Add escarole once potatoes and cabbage are done, and cook for an additional three minutes. Drain all and combine in meat mixture. Stir gently and serve. Be sure to put a little bit of each meat in bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.

Vegetarian version

Ingredients:

Pack of vege ham
Pack of vege beef
Pack of vege pepperoni
Head of cabbage, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 heads of escarole
5-6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Brown garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a very large pan. Add all vege meats and sauté with garlic. Cover with water – approximately two cups- and add 2-3 cans of vegetarian broth. Add a couple of pinches of salt and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for at least two hours. Add water if it begins to evaporate.

In separate pot, cook potatoes and cabbage until tender. Add escarole once potatoes and cabbage are done, and cook for an additional three minutes. Drain all and combine in vege meat mixture. Stir gently and serve. Be sure to put a little bit of each vege meat in bowl. Top with crushed red pepper. If not serving to vegans, the Parmesan really adds needed flavor to the dish.