Peruvian Minestrone or Menestron

Today I decided to cook Peruvian Minestrone. Peru is a combination of many cultures, and so is its food. Minestrone is an Italian dish, which Peruvians have adapted deliciously.

I haven't had this dish since I moved to the US, probably more than 10 years ago. I have been craving this dish for over a week, but kept putting it off because I had no clue how to make it. I finally decided to look it up on google and found tons of recipes. To my surprise, I had all the ingredients in my pantry!

After reading several recipes this is what I decided to go with, based on the ingredients I had at home. The measurements here are for reference only. You can add more or less of each ingredient based on what you like. But, always keep in mind the proportion of each.
Ingredients:

• 2lbs of bone in beef (small pieces) or boneless beef in cubes
• 2 large Yukon potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 2 cups of mixed frozen veggies (corn, peas, carrots)
• 4 corn cubs
• 1/2 of a can of Lima beans
• 1/2lb of farfalle pasta
• 1/2 cup of rice
• 1 tea spoon of pesto or basil
• 1/2 of a can of spinach
• 1 cube of queso fresco (found in the Mexican cheese section) 
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 a cup of vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper

How to make it:
In a large pot, put 3/4 water to boil. Salt and pepper the beef and once the water starts boiling add the beef and potatoes. Once the meat gets brown (about 15 to 20 mins), add the veggies, pasta, beans, rice and corn. Turn heat to medium and let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. While the soup cooks, put the spinach, pesto, cheese and oil on a blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste. This should be a green sauce. Add more spinach if your sauce is not green enough. The taste of this sauce alone should be yummy. Add half of the sauce to the soup and stir. Taste and add the rest of the sauce and salt and pepper if needed. Make sure all your veggies and pasta have cooked. At the end you can add Parmesan cheese to taste and crack two eggs into the soup... and it's ready!!

If it looks complicated, think of it this way...Minestrone soup is like a regular soup (water, meat, and veggies), except that this one is green and thick. The green will come from the pesto and spinach and the thickness will come from the starch of the potatoes.

Today was the first time that I made this meal and it was, as my husband likes to call it, a success! We each had seconds. We couldn't help it.

I hope you enjoy it!