Vegetable Stew. A.K.A. Maltese Minestra.

Hello, friends,
Today I am making, famers market fresh, vegie stew. A.K.A. Maltese, minestra. Brought to you, from the island of Malta, by way of Brooklyn N.Y. Someday I would feel blessed to have a small farm. I get over whelmed, reading about Tractors, seeders and on and on, you get the picture,

I know nothing! Anyway, my mom had so much knowledge, I wish she was still around. She knew how to deal with most any vegetable, or meat for that matter. This recipe is a little of what I was able to learn from her. God bless friends. Stay with me, I know, you all will appreciate this simple, nutritious, economical recipe.  

The raw ingredients. Way to the back right, you will see some very nice Northern spy apples. That's for desert. I am going to try and get fancy with the pastry; after all I am the pie king! what's a trip to market if no pie ingredients? Stay tuned, pie lovers!

First as per the formula, we finely dice the aromatics. They are sweated in the stock pot with plenty of salt to help them break down, along with some pepper. I like to season this at every stage. there are lots of veggies to season here.

After a good fifteen to twenty minutes of vigilantly stirring the aromatics over medium low heat, the veggies release all there liquid. The flavors are concentrated. To this we add the yellow split peas, tomato paste and bay leaf. Sweat for an additional two minutes, this is what your stew base should look like. 

Add to the base in the stock pot the remainder of the veggies. They should be chopped to a rough, rustic cut. Stir well, add some more salt ./ pepper. Add water to just cover the vegies. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for two plus hours, till the liquid thickens. Add the cannelloni beans, elbow macaroni and zucchini. Simmer for 30 more minutes.  Serve warm with parmigiana cheese on top. 

Enjoy! Minestra was a staple in our Maltese American household. Mom raise 7 kids, on a shoestring budget, thanks to recipes like this one.