Autumn Minestrone from the Italian Rivera

I have a great soup cookbook that I like to use pre-holiday. Since there will be a lot of cooking and eating this week, I thought a pot of soup that had options would be a good thing and would leave time for other Thanksgiving preparations. The book is "Good & Garlicky, Thick & Hearty, Soul-Satisfying More Than Minestrone Italian Soup Cookbook" by Joe Famularo. A long name for a great small book. Many of the soups are vegetarian and there are also recipes for soup enhancers: breads, spreads, and crackers. The soup I chose is a minestrone and full of vegetables. Carrot, celery, onion, herbs, tomatoes, green beans, acorn squash, cabbage and potatoes. During the last part of cooking rice is added, I chose arborio. Excellent! Simmer time was about 2 hours. I also prepared crostini with leftover asiago bread from last week. The slices are toasted, drizzled with olive oil and topped with thin strips of fresh sage and grated fontina cheese. Baked until the cheese melts. A great accompaniment to the soup. I saw these served atop a butternut squash soup that was pureed, but this soup is chunky and floating a slice was not an option. Great for dipping, however. I expect some of the turkey meatballs in my freezer will join the soup at some point, but yesterday and today, just the soup as is.

Look for another recipe from this book in the days before Christmas. Perhaps a pasta fagioli? Next week I will share our Wisconsin Thanksgiving. I expect it will be full of great food and good company. Have a wonderful holiday!