Many Minestroni

If one were to have to pick a universal Italian soup it would likely be minestrone, Italy's hearty vegetable soup. There's nothing else quite so universal (though pasta e fagioli, bean soup with pasta, comes close), and also nothing that has been quite so extensively adapted to regional tastes. It's also a dish that can be in large part prepared ahead, which makes it ideal for a family meal, when everybody gets home from work, or if you are having company but don't need to wow them with the presentation -- rather, simply feed them good food, which is all the more satisfying to both host and guest.

Here are five quick variations starting from a simple base recipe that calls for:

1 3/4 pounds (700 g) fresh vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, zucchini, Savoy cabbage, leeks, string beans, tomatoes, and collard greens (the proportions are up to you, and feel free to vary the list).

Peel what needs peeling, wash everything, dice the vegetables, put them in a pot with 3 quarts (3 l) of lightly salted water; add 1/4 pound (100g) frozen peas (if you like them), and simmer the pot, partially covered, until the vegetables are fork-tender, about an hour.

This base recipe will be quite bland, and is the sort of thing that an Italian might whir a cup of in a blender, return to the fire with some short pasta along the lines of ditalini or stelline (thimbles or tiny stars), season with grated cheese and a drop of olive oil, and feed to a toddler.

An adult will want something more flavorful, along the lines of:

• Minestrone Alla Lombarda, with Squash -- Squash and pasta add substance to this soup, which is nicely seasoned with grated Parmigiano.
• Minestrone Freddo con Pomodoro -- Chilled minestrone with garlicky tomatoes is quite refreshing.
• Minestrone alla Friulana, con Orzo -- Friuli Venezia Giulia is known for barley, which adds a delightful touch to this hearty winter soup
• Minestrone alla Ligure -- Ligurians are known for basil, which works quite nicely in this soup.
• Minestrone alla Toscana, con Fagioli -- Tuscans are known for their love of beans, so it's fitting that they go into this soup.

Pressed for time, and don't want to start from scratch? Rather than make the base recipe, you could purchase two 1-pound (500 g) bags of frozen minestrone vegetables and simmer them gently in 3 quarts (3 l) of lightly salted water for 40 minutes, lid ajar.

Winding down, some other traditional minestrone recipes:

• Adriana's Minestrone
  An extraordinarily creamy minestrone from the Veneto.
• Minestrone
  A recipe based on Pellegrino Artusi's, with sobering thoughts on 19th century life.
• Minestrone di Ceci
  Minestrone is a thick vegetable soup. This variation, from Sardinia, uses chickpeas.
• Minestrone alla Milanese
  A refreshing spring minestrone with peas and other garden delights.
• Minestrone al Pesto
  A rich, summery Ligurian variation on Italy's signature soup.

A presto,
Kyle Phillips