Minestrone Soup with Organic Spinach, Ricotta & Pistachio Dumplings [vegetarian]

Minestrone Soup with Organic Spinach, Ricotta & Pistachio Dumplings [vegetarian] by Rosie Birkett

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In the run up to the Soil Association’s BOOM Awards, today I am sharing this delicious recipe for Minestrone Soup with Organic Spinach, Ricotta & Pistachio Dumplings by Rosie Birkett.

This hearty vegetarian recipe is bursting with flavoursome vegetables. It was a big hit with my kids. The dumplings make a really nice addition. I serve this soup with some organic sourdough bread to sponge up every single drop of it!

I love cooking with organic vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs or meat as they simply taste better. Also organic products are often less processed and contain less additives which in my book can only be a good thing.

When I started The Flexitarian’s blog, I wanted to explore how the food we eat is linked to our health, animal welfare and the environment. As such, organic plays an essential role preserving this delicate balance.

Like many people, I really got into buying organic products when I had kids. I wanted to give them the best start in life by reducing the amount of chemicals they came into contact with. I am convinced organic is best for health and to this day, I aim to buy as many organic products as I can, even if I have to be frugal at times.

Organic products are not only best for our health, they are also better for the environment. Organic farming uses fewer pesticides improving the health of the soil. It also releases less greenhouse gases and benefits wildlife biodiversity.

In addition, organic farming provides better welfare standards for animals, allowing them more space, fresh air, fewer drugs or antibiotics.

The Best of Organic Market (BOOM) Awards are the UK’s only dedicated organic awards celebrating people and businesses working to produce the best of Organic food.

This year you can get involved with organic too, the BOOMs Nation’s Favourite Award asks the people to find and vote for the most popular organic product. Nominations are open NOW until to Wednesday, May 31st – make sure you have your say here.

 

This post was commissioned by The Soil Association

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Ingredients

  • FOR THE MINESTRONE:
  • 3 Tbsp organic olive oil
  • Sprig of thyme
  • Bay leaf
  • 1 Tbsp parsley stalks
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 sticks of celery, diced
  • 1 small organic swede, peeled and diced
  • 150g tinned plum tomatoes [5 oz]
  • 1 Tbsp good red wine vinegar
  • 200g organic kale - stalks removed (reserved and chopped), leaves shredded
  • 100g orzo [3.5 oz]
  • 2 litre of water or vegetable stock [3.5 pints / US 8 cups]
  • Parsley and chervil - to garnish
  • Grated lemon zest - to garnish
  • Organic cheddar - to garnish
  • Salt and pepper - to taste
  • FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
  • Pinch of coriander seed
  • Pinch of rye seed
  • 250g ricotta [8.8 oz]
  • 10g grated parmesan [0.35 oz]
  • 1 garlic clove - grated
  • 100g pistachios [3.5 oz] - toasted & chopped
  • 200g spinach [7 oz]
  • Zest of 1 organic unwaxed lemon
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • 5 - 6 Tbsp light organic spelt flour
  • Freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

  1. TO MAKE THE SOUP:
    Heat the olive oil over a medium to high heat.
  2. Add the thyme, bay leaf and parsley stalks and stir, cooking for a minute or two to infuse the oil.
  3. Add diced onions, carrots, celery and swede. Cook for 10–15 minutes stirring often, until softened and smelling good.
  4. Add the plum tomatoes. Cook for a couple more minutes before adding 2 litre of water (or stock), vinegar and the kale stalks. Bring to the boil.
  5. Add shredded kale and orzo.
  6. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10–15 minutes, allowing all the flavours to infuse.
  7. During this time, make the dumplings.
  8. TO MAKE THE DUMPLINGS:
    Dry fry the spices in a frying pan until they start to crackle. Remove and grind in a pestle and mortar.
  9. Wash the spinach and then wilt in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. There should be enough residual water on the spinach to mean that you don’t need to add any oil or water. After a couple of minutes, once wilted, transfer the spinach to a sieve and leave over the sink to drain. Press down on the leaves with a wooden spoon to squeeze out any excess water. Once cooled and drained, chop finely.
  10. Place the ricotta in a bowl and add all of the other ingredients.
  11. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to combine and incorporate all the ingredients.
  12. Oil your hands lightly with olive oil and shape them into meatball sized balls.
  13. Poach them in the minestrone. Alternatively, you could bring a pan of water to the boil and cook them in the boiling water for 5 minutes, until they float – removing them with a slotted spoon.
  14. Serve minestrone with dumplings and garnishes.

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