When Minestra Marries the Future
"When Minestra Marries the Future" by Pasquale Carfora of Restaurant Aroma in Vaassen, Netherlands. This recipe is inspired by a dish that accompanied Pasquale’s entire childhood—the "minestra maritata" (Italian wedding soup). By experimenting with new techniques and flavor combinations, he has created a modern interpretation that pays homage to this classic dish.
Pulled Pork
Vacuum-seal the pork with a saltwater solution and let it rest for 12 hours.
Drain and set aside.
Mix all the remaining ingredients and rub them onto the meat until fully coated.
Bake in a covered tray at 180°C for 20 minutes.
Transfer the meat with its juices into a vacuum bag and cook in water at 75°C for 18 hours.
Shred and set aside.
| 500 g | pork shoulder |
| 10 g | garlic powder |
| 20 g | smoked paprika powder |
| 10 g | ground black pepper |
| 1 | Orange peel |
| 10 g | fennel powder |
| 30 g | peated whisky |
| 30 g | salt |
| 1.5 L | water |
| 50 g | mustard |
Kimchi
Separate the escarole leaves and soak them in the saline solution for 4 hours, ensure that they are fully submerged.
Rinse in a large bowl to remove excess salt. If still too salty, continue rinsing.
Meanwhile, crush all other ingredients in a mortar until a paste forms.
Spread this paste over the escarole leaves and place them in a glass jar with a weight on top to keep them submerged.
If needed, add more saline solution.
Let ferment at room temperature (24°C) for a week.
| 1 | escarole |
| 0,5 g | saltwater solution (5%) |
| 4 | radishes |
| 1 | garlic head |
| 20 g | anchovies colatura from Cetara |
| 40 g | pork ‘nduja |
| 10 g | ginger |
Minestra Filling
Sauté the sausage with olive oil and garlic.
Add finely julienned vegetables, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Blend everything with lemon peel and Parmigiano Reggiano.
| 200 g | turnip greens |
| 150 g | Tuscan kale |
| 100 g | chicory |
| 40 g | Parmigiano Reggiano |
| 1 | pork sausage |
| 1 | lemon peel |
| 2 g | garlic |
| 20 g | extra virgin olive oil |
Turnip Green Powder
Remove the central stems from the turnip greens and dry them overnight at 60°C.
Blend into a fine powder and store.
| 10 | turnip green leaves |
Tonkotsu Broth
Smoke all pork parts at low temperature for 6 hours.
Finely chop the vegetables, add 3 liters of water and horseradish, and cook for 30 minutes.
Add the smoked pork parts, kombu, and cover, simmering for 2 more hours.
Uncover and continue cooking with horseradish and pepper, reducing until 1 liter of broth remains.
| 1 | pig’s ear |
| 1 | pig’s nose |
| 1 | pig’s foot |
| 1 | carrot |
| 1 | onion |
| 1 | celery stalk |
| 1 | sheet of kombu dashi |
| 20 g | horseradish |
| 1 tbsp | black pepper |
Vegetable Gelatin
Sauté vegetables briefly with oil, garlic, and chili.
Blend with vegetable broth until smooth but not too thick.
Season with salt.
Take 180 g of the mixture, add agar-agar and gellan, and heat to 90°C.
Spread onto a tray and let cool.
| 300 g | turnip greens |
| 200 g | Tuscan kale |
| 200 g | broccoli rabe |
| Extra virgin olive oil | |
| 1 | Chili pepper |
| to taste | Salt |
| Vegetable broth | |
| 0,6 g | gellan |
| 0,7 g | agar-agar |
Parmigiano Reggiano Gel
Blend Parmigiano with milk until smooth, then strain.
Take 180 g of the liquid, mix with powders, heat to 90°C, spread onto a tray, and cool.
Once set, blend again until smooth.
| 200 g | 70-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano |
| 200 g | fresh cow’s milk |
| 0,5 g | agar-agar |
| 0,6 g | gellan |
Pork Popcorn
Clean pork rind and boil for 20 minutes in salted water.
Drain, cut into small pieces, and dry thoroughly.
Dehydrate at 50°C for 8 hours.
Fry in hot oil at 185°C and season with salt.
| 1 | Pork rind |
| to taste | Salt |
Sausage Rolls
Make a tartare from the sausages and mix with the kimchi until well combined.
Shape into 12 rolls, each 6 cm long.
| 2 | sausages |
| 100 g | drained kimchi |
Pasta
Cook the pasta in salted water.
Drain and fill with the warmed minestra filling.
| Mezzani di Gragnano IGP from Pastificio dei Campi | |
| minestra filling |
Plating
Heat a 3×4 cm rectangle of vegetable gelatin, the minestra filling, and Parmigiano gel in a steam oven at 60°C.
Keep the broth warm.
Meanwhile, dust the sausage rolls with turnip green powder and set aside.
On the plate, arrange a rectangle of pulled pork as a base.
Alternately place 4 filled Mezzani di Gragnano and 3 sausage rolls.
Cover half of the rectangle with the vegetable gelatin sheet, make lines of Parmigiano gel, and top with 6 pork popcorn pieces.
Serve with hot broth poured at the table.