Minestrone Salad
The recipe Minestrone Salad could satisfy your Mediterranean craving in roughly 45 minutes. This recipe serves 8. One portion of this dish contains about 15g of protein, 7g of fat, and a total of 390 calories. This recipe covers 19% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Many people really liked this main course. A mixture of asparagus, beans, roasted peppers, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so tasty. It is a good option if you're following a dairy free diet.
Instructions
Place 12 ounces fingerling or baby red potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
Spread them out on a baking sheet to cool, then slice the potatoes into 1/2-inch coins.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Add 8 ounces green beans, cut in half, and 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces so they're about the size of the pasta you're using, and blanch the vegetables just until they're bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop the vegetables out of the hot water with a spider or a strainer, rinse them with cold water, and submerge them in the ice water until completely cool, then drain, pat dry, and set aside.
Add 1 pound gemelli or tubetti (or any short pasta you choose) to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
Drain the pasta and put it in a large bowl to cool a bit.
Toss in the potatoes, asparagus, green beans, 1/2 cup pesto, one 15 1/2-ounce can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), one 6-ounce jar roasted peppers, sliced into strips, and salt and pepper to taste. If preparing ahead of time, combine all of the ingredients 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Reprinted with permission from What's a Hostess to Do?: 313 Ideas and Inspirations for Effortless Entertaining by Susan Spungen. Copyright © 2013 by Susan Spungen. Published by Artisan, a division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc
Recommended wine: Chianti, Trebbiano, Verdicchio
Italian on the menu? Try pairing with Chianti, Trebbiano, and Verdicchio. Italians know food and they know wine. Trebbiano and Verdicchio are Italian white wines that pair well with fish and white meat, while Chianti is a great Italian red for heavier, bolder dishes. You could try Castello di Monsanto Il Poggio Chianti Classico Riserva. Reviewers quite like it with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating and a price of about 40 dollars per bottle.
Castello di Monsanto Il Poggio Chianti Classico Riserva
Born in the vineyard “Il Poggio” (5.5 Ha, 310 metres a.s.l.) from which in 1962, it took its name: it is the first Chianti Classico Cru. Made of 90% Sangiovese and from 7% Canaiolo and 3% Colorino, it ages for 20 months in French oak barrels. Today it represents the most prestigious product of the company, appreciated all over the world. It is produced only in the best vintages. The company has chosen to keep a considerable quantity of bottles of this wine in the cellar being the permanent archives, able to tell the history of Castello di Monsanto