I’ve been told that strange orange orb in the sky making me squint is in fact the sun. It appears, and I don’t want to jinx it, that spring might just be around the corner here in New York. With temperatures in the forties and even fifties (!) these past few days, the winter of my discontent might just be melting away.
So before everything turns into sunshine, lollipops and light salads, I thought I’d give hearty comfort foods one last go. What better than a minestrone to stick to your ribs as you wait out the last few weeks of chilly grayness?
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 pinch black pepper
1 cup red wine
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked macaroni elbows
2 cups baby spinach
4 cups vegetable stock
salt to taste
Method
In a large stockpot, heat the oil or butter and sauté the garlic, onion, carrots, zucchini, celery and mushrooms until everything begins to soften, about ten minutes.
Add spices and sauté one more minute.
Deglaze the pot with wine. Add tomatoes and beans. Give everything a good stir.
Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to the box’s directions, usually about twelve minutes.
During the last two minutes of macaroni boiling, add spinach and stir.
Take off the heat, add salt to taste, and adjust other spice levels.
Slurp it up as you wistfully stare out the window waiting for spring to properly arrive.