Minestra

 

Minestra is true peasant food, my favorite kind of food! In its purest form, its beans and greens in a simple, garlicky broth. In the US, where I live, Italian Americans tend to add a flavorful meat, like sausage or prosciutto. Either way is yummy.

I grew up with this stuff, and the variations are endless. What type of bean, what type of greens, what type of meat? I've had it with green cabbage, lima beans (butter beans for you Southerners) and chunks of really excellent pepperoni, which is almist impossible to find in the deep South where I live. Then there is the savoy cabbage, cannellini beans and hot Italian sausage. What about my mother's and my favorite of mustard greens, Christmas limas, and sweet Italian sausage. On the rare occasions that I find mustard greens  at the market, this is what I make.

It's a southern tradition to eat black eyed peas on January 1st, and the popularity of various types of greens here made minestra a no-brainer. I have never used a recipe for this; I just throw the basic components in the pot and keep tasting till my grandmother speaks to me from the grave saying, "That's good, Honey", and then I serve it. However, the beateous Laura asked for a recipe, so I'm memorializing what I did.

I normally cook dried beans myself, usually in my Instant Pot, so this recipe begins with looking up how long  black eyed peas take in the Instant pot, which is 10 - 12 minutes with a 15 minute natural release. I had some kale, and that takes 2 minutes in the instant pot. I decided to cook everything together.

INGREDIENTS 

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (Evoo)

1 med yellow onion, chopped 

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

12 oz Italian sausage, sliced into 1/3" rounds (I used 2 hot and 2 sweet)

1 lb, or more, kale, cleaned, deveined, and chopped (I used bagged kale)

8 oz dried black eyed peas

4 cups chicken stock (taste for saltiness and chickeny flavor if its not homemade and add 1-2 tsp chicken bouillion or Vegeta if needed)

2 cups water.

Salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes (or cayenne) if desired

Shave some parmesan into your bowl for a real taste treat.

Serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices. 

INSTANT POT METHOD

Turn it on to sauté and let it come to temperature. Sauté the sausage till golden around the edges, stirring often, adding Evoo if necessary, about 5 minutes. Add in the onions and garlic to sauté, till translucent and fragrant.

Add in the black eyed peas and broth (reserve the water till later), bouillion powder if using, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir well. Pile in the greens, place the cover and cook on high for 15 minutes with 15 minutes natural release. 

Kale can take the extended cooking time - it will be very soft, but not mushy. Stir well, taste the peas, they should be buttery soft, but still retain their shape. Taste the broth for salt and flavor. My broth was a little bland to begin with, so I didn’t add any salt, but I did add the bouillion. When cooked, it was a little salty, so I added 3 cups water.  

We loved it!

STOVE TOP METHOD

Use 2 cans or 3 cups precooked beans.

In a 5-6 qt dutch oven, sauté the sausage, onions, and garlic in Evoo as above. Follow all directions, but cover the pot and gently simmer for half an hour. Taste for flavor and how tender the beans and greens are. Depending on the greens you use, it might take more or less time.