Pork Hock Minestrone

Pork Hock Minestrone

Here is how Mariano uses a Pork Hock to make a smoky and delicious homemade Minestrone soup from scratch!

Course: Appetizers, MainCuisine: European, WesternDifficulty: Medium
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Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

2

hours 
Total time

2

hours 

10

minutes
Cook Mode

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Ingredients

  • 1 Capital Pork Hock

  • 2 cups Conchigliette (small shell) Pasta

  • 1/2 cup Navy Beans

  • 1 large Carrot

  • 5 sticks Celery

  • small handful Asparagus Ends

  • 1 medium Onion

  • 1 large Yukon Gold Potato

  • 2 large Garlic Cloves

  • 1 Leek

  • 2 Green Onions

  • large handful Kale

  • large handful Italian Parsley

  • 1 Vegetable Bouillon cube

  • 1/2 cup Crushed Tomato Sauce

  • 1 Mariano size splash Olive Oil

  • 1 Mariano size splash Red Wine

  • Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (optional)

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!

Equipment

  • Large Pot
  • Medium Pot
  • Cutting Board
  • Sharp Knife
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Soup Ladle

Recipe Video