Hunter's Minestrone

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 1/2 lb small rigatoni pasta
• extra virgin olive oil
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 3/4 lb loose sweet italian lamb sausage
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
• fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 12 slices baguette
• 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Recipe

• 1 combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. keep warm.
• 2 bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.
• 3 pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan. add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
• 4 to the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• 5 cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. drain and stir into the simmering soup. add the parsley, and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.
• 6 to serve, preheat the broiler. put the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. sprinkle with the parmigiano and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 minutes. ladle the soup into bowls and float a couple of the baguette slices on top.