I love everything about Alice Waters’ philosophy, which in a nutshell can be described by the phrases, “eat locally”, “eat seasonally” and “use pure, fresh, organic ingredients”. Because of her efforts, great strides have been made in the restaurant industry and in some (very lucky) public schools. Her recipes are simple, unpretentious, and emphasize quality ingredients. Bottom line: very manageable!
I recently made her Winter Minestrone Soup (using turnips for the first time if you can believe it!) and found it a delightful mix of seasonal vegetables and beans…a favorite combination of mine. While some soups are actually better made ahead, you’ll want to enjoy this yummy soup on the same day you prepare it…enjoy!
Alice Waters’ Winter Minestrone (serves 
1 cup dried cannellini or cranberry beans, or a mix of both (I substituted canned beans for the sake of time)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
5 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1 small leek, diced
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 pound yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
extra-virgin olive oil and shaved Parmesan for garnish
(skip Step 1 if you are using canned beans)
1. Soak beans overnight in 4 cups water. Drain and transfer to a heavy pot, then add water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil. Lower the head and skim off any foam. Simmer gently for 2 hours until the beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during the cooking. Drain; reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 15 minutes, or until a rich golden brown. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and 2 tsp. of salt. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add 3 cups water, bring to a boil, and then add leek, turnips, and potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil cabbage in salted water until tender. Drain.
4. Add cooked beans (or canned) to the soup, along with 1 cup reserved cooking liquid (if you used canned beans you can use some of the liquid the beans soaked in mixed with water) and the boiled cabbage. Cook for 5 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more bean-cooking liquid. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Pour soup into a tureen or bring the pot to the table. Ladle into bowls; garnish with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, then season with salt (and freshly ground pepper I might add).
Alice suggests serving this soup with a garlic sourdough bread, but truly any crusty artisan bread would be delicious. I served the soup with ciabatta and French country.
looks delish! thanks for sharing. I love turnips and have been (oddly– blame it on the baby gestating) craving cabbage. I will have to make it soon.
Four out of my five kids ate this and loved it. My husband loved it also and was disappointed I was out of leeks, they would have been wonderful.
Made this and loved it! First time my kids ate turnips without complaining
We had bok choi from our CSA, so I used the bok choi stems instead of celery and the leaves instead of cabbage (just threw the leaves in in the last few minutes of cooking.) I thought it was better the second day, but loved it the first day, too! I didn’t have any leeks and it was fine w/o them.