Loved this, tho’ I did improvise somewhat (and once I tinkered with it a 5-star soup). I detested carrots as a kid and still do – and I detest the sweetness they lend to stocks and soups, so I left them out. I didn’t cook the celery and onion in the broth itself, but instead sweated them in some olive oil and added minced garlic. For the broth I preferred beef to chicken for its heartier flavor, and I just happened to have some homemade in the freezer that I had made with the bones of a prime rib roast – and the bits of beef in it were nice in this soup. I omitted the thyme, and frankly used no other seasoning than a good glug of red wine and a finish of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end. Sure, additional or different vegetables could be used, but I enjoyed the simplicity of just the zucchini and plum tomatoes (if you can’t find red-ripe ones, DO use a good canned tomato instead for best flavor). I had the cutest little teeny squash-filled ravioli (from Italy) and used that instead of the tortellini. As for the beans, I used the more fitting, in my humble opinion, cannellini beans (white kidney beans) rather than the red. This was excellent and unbelievably prepared in the time it took to boil the pasta.
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Loved this, tho’ I did improvise somewhat (and once I tinkered with it a 5-star soup). I...