Cajun Minestrone

Cajun Minestrone

Have you ever been to Louisiana? Ok, have you ever been in Louisiana, outside of New Orleans? In the vast Bayou area west of New Orleans there is a whole cuisine available in small town restaurants and dives that put out outstanding food. If you ever have the chance, it is worth roaming these small towns and try what they have to offer. Some of the most run down dives can put out a wonderful meal.

On my trips to the Bayou region of South Louisiana, I especially enjoyed soups and gumbos. I never saw this soup, however. I’ve had amazing Turtle Soup at The Grapevine in Donaldsonville, LA and and I always get the ever-popular Seafood Gumbo at Landry’s Seafood in Pierre Part, LA, but I’ve yet to be served anything like this recipe. 

Why did I call it Cajun Minestrone? Well, one Saturday afternoon I had a big pot of chicken stock on the stove and I had Cajun music from The Savoy-Doucet Band playing, when I decided to make Minestrone. I think it influenced my cooking. With the smoked sausage, the trinity of bell pepper, celery and onion, as well as a roux, the soup took on a Cajun character. 

What? Do you think Cajun Minestrone is weird? If it makes you feel more authentic, you can call this soup Minestrone Gumbo, dat ok, as the Cajuns would say. If you make this soup and serve it to some Cajuns, they’ll probably exclaim something like this: What you did? Dis good gumbo, you know!

2 slices of thick bacon, chopped

1/2 lb. Smoked sausage, chopped

1/4 cup flour

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 red bell, chopped

1 dried arbol pepper, chopped

1 cup of chopped cabbage

3 large cloves of garlic

1 can of Ro*Tel 

2 quarts of chicken broth

1 can of white or red kidney beans

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. of oregano

1/2 tsp. of thyme

Cajun seasoning

2 cups of pasta shells

Preparation

Have all the vegetables chopped before you start. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. When the bacon starts to brown, add the smoked sausage and stir until it is nicely browned. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the flour so it is absorbed by the fat, and stir it constantly over medium heat until it is the color of coffee with a little cream. Be careful not to scorch the flour.

Once the flour (roux) is the right color, stir in the onions, celery and bell peppers along with the arbol and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat until the onions start to soften. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning. Add the oregano, thyme, bay leaf and the chicken broth as well as the cooked meat and bring to a boil. 

Add the Rotel tomatoes. Cover and return the soup to a boil. Add the beans, reduce the heat, cover and let the soup simmer gently for an hour. Add the pasta and taste for salt and pepper. If you have one, add the rind of a good parmesan cheese to the soup. What the heck, it can’t hurt. Simmer another fifteen minutes and you’ve got gumbo ... err ... I mean Minestrone!

Serving

Serve a large bowl of this soup with some fresh baked bread along with some seasoned, broiled catfish, and dirty rice. I like a chilled Riesling with it as well, but an icy cold beer is good to. Bread pudding with a whiskey-brown sugar sauce is a good dessert.