Chicken Broth with Pasta (Minestrina)
How to make the magic Italian broth that makes everything better
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized Carrots
- 1 Onion
- 2 Leeks
- 2 Turnips
- 1 Celery stalk
- 1 kg beef with bone in, or the bones of 1 left-over chicken 2.2lbs
Instructions
- Peel the carrots, then chop all the vegetables into large chunks.
- Put in large pot or pressure cooker. I use a 7 litre pressure cooker, which gets the job done in half the time!.
- Add water to just cover the meat of your choice and the prepared vegetables. In this case I added 2L (8 cups) of water.
- If you are using a pressure cooker, close the lid and when it starts to whistle, let it boil for 1 1/2 hours. For a normal pot, put the lid on and simmer gently for 3 hours. Check the water level every now and then and add more water if it gets low.
- When the broth is done you can remove the vegetables and meat, then pour it into plastic containers. Leave in the fridge overnight and skim off the fat before you use it. My Italian in-laws love to eat the vegetables in a cold salad with salt, red-wine vinegar and olive oil sprinkled over the top.
- To make the minestrina:
- Boil 500ml (2 cups) of broth. When it is boiling, throw in 90 - 100g (3.5oz) of tiny pasta, such as alphabet pasta or tiny stars. Follow the packet instructions for cooking times. If the pasta absorbs too much of the broth add a little more broth during the cooking time. Pour it into the bowl and grate parmasean cheese over the top if desired.
Notes
The broth is great to make risotto with or as a base for any kind of soup.
Watch those kids get suckered in to eating something that's good for them (insert evil genius laugh here!).