Hearty Winter Minestrone with Chili Oil, Lemon Zest, and Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2  bay leaves 
• 1 cup cannellini beans dried white ()
• 1.5 cups carrots peeled chopped
• 0.3 cup celery chopped
• 1 cup elbow macaroni cooked (yields 2 cups)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin divided
• 3 tablespoons parsley fresh chopped
• 4 teaspoons garlic clove minced
• 8 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest 
• 8 cups napa cabbage shredded cored
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 8 servings parmesan for grating
• 1 tablespoon pepper dried whole red crushed
• 2 medium baking potatoes peeled cut into a 1/2 inch dice ( 2 cups)
• 3 cups swiss chard shredded rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 3 quarts vegetable stock as needed plus more )

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• ladle
• pot
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in an 8-quart Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering.
2. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly softened but not browned, about 2 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 5 minutes. Scrape vegetables to one side of pot, add tomato paste to empty space and cook, stirring, until paste darkens in color slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir tomato paste into rest of vegetables to coat.
4. Add beans and their soaking liquid, 3 quarts water, bay leaves, carrot, celery, and 1 tablespoon salt to pot. Bring to a boil then drop to a simmer and cook until beans are mostly tender, about 30 minutes.
5. Add chard and cabbage and cook until vegetables are completely softened, about 30 minutes longer. Taste soup for seasoning, adding black pepper and more salt as needed.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the chili oil: in a small pan, combine the dried chilis or pepper flakes and 1/2 cup olive oil.
7. Heat, stirring occasionally, over very low heat until chilis toast and start to make a popping noise.
8. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and allow to rest until cooled.
9. To serve soup, place about 1/4 cup cooked pasta into each serving bowl, ladle soup over, and top with a drizzle of chili oil and a sprinkling each of lemon zest, parsley and grated Parmesan.