Aunty Tal’s Minestrone Soup

One soup that I can take the Duchess on, is that of minestrone soup. This is soup is dedicated to Jane’s Aunty Tal who came over from Italy to settle in the UK.

 Italy is made up of twenty regions each with their own characteristics. Every town, every village make the same dish in different ways, and then ferociously argue that theirs is the best.

Two things you need to know. Firstly, there is not a common recipe for it, depends on ingredients. Secondly, mine is the best minestrone in the world.

 Ingredients

Olive Oil

2 x Leeks, chopped

3 x Celery sticks, chopped

2 x carrots, chopped

1 x onion, chopped

2x courgettes, chopped

3 x cloves of garlic

150g x Cavalero Nero

100g x Broad Beans, frozen

1.5l x Vegetable Stock

2 x 400g tins of tomatoes

70g x Macaroni

Fresh Basil

Fresh Parsley

Freshly grated parmesan

Salt and Pepper

1.      I was taught to sauté each of the fresh vegetables, adding one at a time for 3 minutes along with a springle of salt. Add them in the following order – onion, carrot, celery, garlic, leeks, courgette and cavalero nero. This will allow the for the sugars to break down giving you layers of flavour. 

2.      Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes. 

3.      Add the chopped tomatoes and the broad beans, and simmer for another 20 minutes. 

4.      Add the pasta and cook for a further 10 minutes. 

5.      Serve the soup sprinkled with basil and pasrley and a spoonful of grated Parmesan.