Minestrone is a staple in any respected Italian restaurant. There was a neighborhood Italian restaurant I lived near in San Francisco that always had a soup of the day. Every time I ever went there, the soup of the day was Minestrone. I asked the server once if there is ever another type of soup of the day. She said, “No.” I guess when you do something right, why change it.

1 pound dry cranberry beans (use pinto beans if you can’t find cranberry beans)
3 quarts spring water
2 quarts chicken broth
1 pound fresh green beans, broken in half
6 ounces salt pork, diced
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound onions, peeled and minced
2 cups peeled canned plum tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium-sized carrot, scraped and diced
2 celery stalks with leaves, minced
1 ham hock
¼ cup butter
1 pound tiny shell pasta

Soak the dried beans in water overnight. Drain and discard water. Add beans to the 3 quarts of water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add all other ingredients except for the butter and pasta. Cook slowly for two hours. When beans are cooked, add pasta and bring to a boil. Cook for 8 minutes. Add the butter and serve with wine and grated parmesan cheese.