Minestrone Soup & Lemon Bars

This is a fabulous cold-weather dinner and great leftover as well. Amelie loves it too (I just strain the juice part and give her a heaping portion of vegetables). Lemon bars don't really seem appropriate this time of year, but I had some extra lemons laying around today and I thought, "why not"?

Super Quick Minestrone
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

1 cup (4 ounces) tubetti pasta, or other small pasta shape
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 pound pancetta, cut into 3 pieces (or if you are like me, you can delete this part)
6 medium garlic cloves, each cut in 1/2 lengthwise
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions (2 small onions)
1 cup small-diced celery (2 medium stalks)
1 cup small-diced carrots (2 to 3 medium carrots)
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary or thyme leaves
1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I use 2)
4 cups small-diced zucchini (green/yellow) (5 small zucchini)
2 cups small-diced, peeled russet potatoes (1 large russet)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to a baking sheet. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the chicken stock.

In another large saucepan over high heat, heat 1/4 cup oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the pancetta and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and carrots.

Cook until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent browning. Add the chopped herbs. Raise the heat to high. Add the beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then bring it down to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes, skimming any foam off the top of the soup. Season generously with pepper. Add salt, to taste. Just a few minutes before serving, add the cooked tubetti pasta. Serve warm with Parmesan and olive oil passed at the table.

Cooking notes: Add the cooked pasta just before serving. If it sits in the soup too long, it develops a flabby texture. Tubetti (little hollow tubes) are the classic pasta for minestrone, but you could substitute another small shape of pasta.

Lemon Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature


1/4 cup powdered sugar


1 cup all purpose flour


1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon Filling:

Zest of one large lemon


1 cup sugar


3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


3 tablespoons all purpose flour


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


2 large eggs

Preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 Pyrex dish with cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and salt. Mix until combined and smooth. Press the crust dough into the prepared pan. Make sure the crust is evenly spread out. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

In a medium bowl, rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers until fragrant. Add in the lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and eggs. Mix until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over baked crust.

Bake for 20 more minutes, or until the lemon filling is set and slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let the bars cool and set. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes 9-12 bars, depending on how big you cut them.