Frank's Minestrone

It has occurred to me that I write a lot about soup. It has also occurred to me that anyone who actually reads everything I post about soup, might be so interested in soup themselves as to want the recipes. I use the term "recipe" rather loosely here, because I make most soups up as I go and don't measure anything. But I will try to remember and estimate measurements when I can. So, here it is, fresh from Monday night, Frank's* Minestrone:

olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
5 carrots, cut into thin circles

Saute the above ingredients until they start to get soft- probably about 30 minutes. Then add:

3 small zucchini, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups broth or stock (any kind will do)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (40-50 oz. I think)
1 small can of tomato sauce (6 oz.)

Stir everything up and turn the heat up until it boils. After it reaches a boil, turn the heat back down to low. Add the spices (about 1 teaspoon of each):

salt
pepper
parsley
oregano
basil

Simmer for as long as you can. I like to do about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add water if it looks too thick. I probably added about 3-4 cups of water during the simmering process. It just depends on how stew-like you want it to be.
30 minutes before you want to eat it, add 1 1/2 cups of dry mini shell pasta. Give the pasta time to cook and then the soup is done. I like to serve it with a nice snow cap of Parmesan cheese on top and some good bread.

I may eventually get around to posting a recipe for last week's corn chowder, but this will have to do for now. Happy soup making!

(Note: tomorrow I will have things to share that have nothing to do with soup. Pinky swear.)

*This soup is named after Frank, our pest control guy. He stops by once a year, so as you can imagine, we're pretty close. He even bought our dehumidifier. Frank happened to be here on Monday when I was making soup and was so enthusiastic about the aroma and the idea of homemade soup that I felt a little sad for him. And then he shared that he'd be eating canned soup for dinner, and I felt a lot sad for him. If the soup had been ready, I'd have sent him home with some.