When you feel winter's chill deep in your bones, its time for cozy sweaters and a pot of soup. This minestrone recipe is one shared ten years ago by my dear friend, Elise Payne. After her beloved husband, Dub, was diagnosed with diabetes,  Elise was masterful at adapting recipes to fit his dietary restrictions, without sacrificing flavor or presentation; Dub never felt deprived. This soup manages to be chocked full of healthy vegetables, but still hearty and filling. I have prepared it often and think fondly of Elise every time I ladle up a serving. 

Before I even share the recipe, let me tell you about the variations I sometimes employee. The recipe calls for two quarts of chicken stock; if you can get your hands on homemade, the flavor will always be better than the boxed stuff from the grocery shelf. If you don't have homemade, by all means, use the boxes. I add a flavor booster to nearly all the soups that I make; a spoonful adds a great depth of flavor. I keep these in my refrigerator all the time:

In the recipe photographs, you might wonder about the little pieces of ham in the soup. Last week I served a bone-in ham to dinner guests. The next day I dropped that bone into a large pot with water and let it cook away, uncovered, for several hours. I strained the broth and cooled it overnight in the refrigerator, and the next morning, skimmed the solidified fat off the top. I used that fabulous ham broth instead of chicken stock in my soup, along with the addition of some of the leftover, chopped ham. Years ago, I made this variation while on a skiing trip in Big Sky. I remember Larry's brother, Willard, himself a food connoisseur, ate three bowls of the stuff, one right after the other. I appreciated the resounding endorsement! This recipe is as flexible as a gymnast, so don't be afraid to create your own variation. For a vegetarian version, simply use vegetable stock for the broth.

Minestrone Vegetable Soup

4 medium carrots, diced

1 medium onion, diced

3 medium zucchini, diced

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 quarts chicken stock (2 -32 oz. boxes)

1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 cups dry small shell pasta

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; sauté the carrots and onion for five minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir and cook for another minute. Add the stock to the pot, bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Add the zucchini, cannellini beans, and fresh parsley and cook for a few minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. (I also sprinkled in a few pepper flakes for a little heat). Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for twenty minutes. Bring another pot of water to a boil; add salt and cook the pasta shells for 2 minutes less than the lowest cooking time on the package. Usually the package gives a range of 9-11 minutes, so you would cook these for seven minutes and then drain. The pasta will continue softening in the soup. Add the cooked shells to the soup and let set, off the heat, for a few minutes until you are ready to serve the soup. If you let it set much longer, or if you refrigerate it and reheat the next day, you will need to add a bit more liquid (either chicken stock or water), since the pasta will absorb some of the liquid. Serve with a dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few torn leaves of fresh basil. Makes 10-12 servings.