Minestrone Soup (Modena Style) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 yellow onion, coursely chopped
1 celery rib, with leave cut into 1/4 in thick slices
1 carrot, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 firmly packed cups shredded savoy cabbage (or spinach, fresh or frozen)
1 (16 ounce) can peeled chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups water
1 3/4 1 3/4 cups chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preparation

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, approximately 5 minutes.
Add the following ingredients in the order given, cooking 1 minute before adding the next; onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, garlic and cabbage.
Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer over high heat.
Stir in the water, broth, red wine, salt,thyme,cloves and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, approximately 1 hour. Stir in the beans and cook for 5 minutes just until heated through.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Serve hot.