Minestra is a typical dish from Gibraltar of Italian origin, specifically from Genoese immigrants that settled hundreds of years ago. Some people like Minestra chunky (like me, I prefer to dice all the vegetables) and other people like to blend the vegetables into a sauce. This dish is a stew made with pinto beans, vegetables and pasta with a hint of basil.
Either way is just as good and is down to personal preference. It is usually made with a type of pasta which we call ‘fideos‘, which is a generic term in Spanish for pasta but in context means short strands of spaghetti, about 3cm (1 inch) long, similar to vermicelli pasta but a little thicker. If you can’t find it you can always break spaghetti strands into small pieces.
This dish is also typically served with grated mature Dutch Edam cheese, which is hard, crumbly and has an intense taste. It may seem strange to use a Dutch cheese since Minestra is of Italian origin, but in Gibraltar mature Edam cheese is used in many dishes and it is one of our many quirks. However it is by no means necessary and omitting this will keep it dairy free and vegan.
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Minestra is a typical dish from Gibraltar of Italian origin, a stew made with pinto beans, vegetables and pasta with a hint of basil.
Ingredients
- 100 g pinto beans, dry
- 1 litre of water
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g kohlrabi
- 1 carrot
- 1 medium courgette
- 2 tbsp chopped basil (or more depending on taste)
- 1 medium aubergine
- 100 g thick vermicelli pasta (fideos)
- 250 g green beans
- 150 g pumpkin / butternut squash
- 100 mg saffron sachet (several fronds)
- 3½ oz pinto beans, dry
- 4 cups of water
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3½ oz kohlrabi
- 1 carrot
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 tbsp chopped basil (or more depending on taste)
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 cup thick vermicelli pasta (fideos)
- 9 oz green beans
- 5½ oz pumpkin / butternut squash
- 1 saffron sachet (or several fronds)
Instructions
- Soak the pinto beans overnight (or at least 8 hours before).
- Drain the pinto beans and add to a large pan with 1 litre of water from a recently boiled kettle.
- Bring to a medium simmer and in the meantime dice the onion, garlic, carrot, kohlrabi, courgette, aubergine and butternut squash and add to the pan with the olive oil.
- Slice the green beans and add to the rest of the vegetables together with the finely diced basil and saffron.
- After about 30 minutes of cooking add the pasta and gently simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
- When the pasta and the pinto beans are soft add salt to taste and serve.
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4.75 from 4 reviews
