Directions

• Add a Capital Smoked Pork Hock to a large pot of boiling water. Be sure to leave the bone and skin on for the most flavor.
• Wash, peel, and chop all the vegetables & herbs, and add to the pot. These will all be cooked for about an hour, so the order of ingredients isn’t too important. Add a Vegetable Bouillon cube to taste, and your Navy Beans. (All vegetables are welcome in this soup, don’t be shy!)
• Prepare the soup condiment by lightly frying chopped green onion and garlic in a pan of olive oil over medium heat. Try to get the oil to sizzle, but not brown the ingredients too much. After the onions and garlic become fragrant, add a few tablespoons of Crushed Tomato, and a splash of Red Wine. Cook until slightly thickened over medium heat.
• In a separate pot, cook your Conchigliette pasta shells. The pasta is cooked separately to remove some of the starch. Pull the pasta out slightly before it’s fully cooked, and rinse in a strainer with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Add the finished Condiment to the soup, and cook together for about 25 minutes, or until the beans are softened. A few minutes before the soup is finished cooking, add the pasta back in, and cook until the pasta is “Al Dente”.
• Tip: The Minestrone is done cooking when the hard vegetables are soft and similar in texture to the pasta.
• Add your favorite cheese (we like Parmigiano-Reggiano for this dish), stir, serve, top with more cheese, and enjoy!