Recipe - Gambardellas Minestrone Soup

One half cup Dry cannellini or Great
Northern beans
One half cup Dry red kidney beans
One half cup Dry garbanzo beans
One half cup Dry lentils
One fourth cup Dry split peas
1 small White potato, peeled & minced
4 Or 5 cups chicken or beef
Broth
2 pack (16 ounce pkgs) frozen Italian
Vegetables
One fourth cup Olive oil
1 lg Onion, peeled and chopped
4 Cloves garlic, peeled and
Chopped
1 md Red bell pepper, stemmed,
Seeded and chopped
3 lg Stalks celery, minced
1 md Bulb fennel, chopped
1/3 cup Fresh basil, chopped
One half cup Fresh oregano, chopped
One fourth cup Parsley stems, chopped
One fourth teaspoon Dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon Fennel seeds
1 tablespoon Coarse salt
1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Fresh ripe tomatoes, minced ,
Or peeled and minced canned
Tomatoes
Cooked pasta or rice

1. Soak the cannellini, kidney and garbanzo beans, lentils and peas in lots
of water to cover overnight. The next day, cook in 3 cups water 20 minutes;
skim the foam from the top. Do not drain. 2. Simmer the potatoes in 1 cup
broth 15 minutes; set aside. (Do not drain either preparation.) 3. In a
heavybottomed 8quart pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the
onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery and fennel; saute until the onions are
golden. Add the basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, fennel seeds, salt and
pepper; add simmered beans, undrained potato and vegetables, and tomatoes.
Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add a little more broth if needed. 4.
Serve over pasta or rice

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini