Here you go.
Minestrone
There is something about this soup that sums up the best of life. It is filling, tasty, nutritious and cheap; exactly what food should be, but often isn’t. Although it would be rude to have favourites in this book, this soup is one of ours.
Serves 6 adults
Glug of olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 potatoes, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
2 litres vegetable stock, plus more if needed
50g spaghetti, broken up
100g green cabbage, finely shredded
1 leek, sliced
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Handful of basil leaves (optional)
Handful of Parmesan, or other cheese, grated
- Pour the olive oil into a very large saucepan that has a lid and place it over a medium heat. Fry the carrots, onion, potatoes and celery until softened but not browned.
- Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Tip in the spaghetti, cabbage, leek and tomatoes, stirring until the soup returns to a simmer, then cover and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Season. For a less chunky soup, add more stock, or even water. Tear in the basil, if using, and serve with grated cheese over each bowl.
**
Vegetarian
Leave out, or substitute, the Parmesan cheese.
Freezable
Leave out the pasta; add it when reheating.
The health bit
It won’t be a surprise to hear that a lot of children aren’t keen on cabbage. But they’ll often eat it in a soup. Cabbage contains phytochemicals, believed to help protect against cancer, so it’s worth winning this particular battle.