Good old minestrone would have to be one of the most common soups we’ve come across. An all-in-one meal in a bowl, brimming with goodness and packed with flavour. So trust the Croatians to adopt the idea and put their own spin on it. I guess Italy and Croatia are next door neighbours with exceptional taste!

Traditional Italian minestrone is all about vegetables and beans; probably born in a kitchen that used whatever was on hand. Clearly this wasn’t enough for those meat-loving Croatians that live on the Istrian peninsula, so in went some šunka. That would be ham.

What we’ve got here is a soup that’s a glorified version of grah, one of my all-time favourite soups. Not only do you have a medley vegetables and hearty beans, but you get a smoky hug from those glorious pork ribs. Now this is my kind of minestrone!

Print Recipe

Istarska maneštra - Istrian minestrone soup

Minestrone with a Croatian twist. Dare I say I think it's better than the original?

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Croatian

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 230 g romano beans soaked overnight
• 500 g smoked pork ribs
• 150 g carrots diced
• 90 g turnip diced
• 40 g celery diced
• 1 cob corn charred & kernels sliced off
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 cup pasta shells
• ¼ cup virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 tomato chopped into 1 cm dice (seeds & all)
• ½ tsp paprika powder
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• 2 tsp vinegar
• parsley leaves to garnish

Course Main Dish Cuisine Croatian Servings servings Ingredients 230 g romano beans soaked overnight 500 g smoked pork ribs 150 g carrots diced 90 g turnip diced 40 g celery diced 1 cob corn charred & kernels sliced off 1 large bay leaf 1 cup pasta shells ¼ cup virgin olive oil 1 large onion finely chopped 1 tomato chopped into 1 cm dice (seeds & all) ½ tsp paprika powder Salt & black pepper to taste 2 tsp vinegar parsley leaves to garnish

Instructions

1. Place the soaked & drained beans with the ribs, vegetables (except onion & tomato) and bay leaf into a large saucepan. Cover with water and put over medium-high heat and allow to simmer gently for at least two hours, stirring occasionally.
2. When the soup is near its 2-hour simmering time, cook the pasta shells in a separate pot of boiling water.
3. Remove the ribs from the soup and, when cool enough to handle, pick off any meat and add it to the soup.
4. While you cook the pasta, heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and sauté the onion until golden brown. Add the paprika and stir for 30 seconds before adding the diced tomato. Sauté for a further 1 minute and then add the tomato mixture to the soup along with the cooked pasta.
5. Check the soup for seasoning and stir through the vinegar. Garnish with parsley leaves and serve with loads of crusty bread.

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