From Moonstruck · 1987 · Reconstructed
Rosalia's Minestrone
Serve when
Bring it to the table for the diner who insists on eating alone — Rose Castorini, treating herself to dinner out while she waits to see if her husband is having an affair.
In the movie
Theatrical
- 01:04:35 Rose Castorini eats dinner alone at a neighborhood restaurant; the waiter sets down her order by name — 'Signora Castorini... your minestrone' — just before a stranger asks to join her table
Rose eats this alone, on purpose — she's just told Cosmo she loves him and heard nothing back, and rather than sit home wondering if he's cheating, she takes herself out for dinner. The waiter knows her order by name before she asks; a professor at the next table, eating alone for his own reasons, asks to join her instead. It's one of the quietest scenes in the film and one of the only times anyone in it is shown simply feeding themselves, no argument attached. This is a reconstruction of a standard minestrone — the film names the dish on screen but no recipe is given.
Ingredients
Method
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot and sweat the onion, carrot, and celery until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and zucchini and cook another few minutes.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and stock, along with a parmesan rind if using. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.
- Add the cannellini beans and cabbage or escarole, and simmer another 20 minutes until the vegetables are fully tender.
- Add the pasta in the last 10 minutes and cook until just tender — don't let it sit too long in the pot, or it will go soft.
- Season, finish each bowl with parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve hot.