Soups: 1. Minestrone with orecchiette and barlotti beans

The Autumn months are upon us and when the rain starts to pour and the sky is grey I start hankering after comfort and warmth and all things hygge which I find easily in a steaming bowl of soup. Unfortunately my daughters are not as impressed when I announce soup is on the menu and so this month we are going to try a different soup each week to find out what ticks the box for them too.

The verdict:
This weeks offering was Minestrone with orecchiette and barlotti beans. Considering I forgot to add the garnish of parmesan cheese and basil it still managed to scored an average 3/5 from my crowd of don’t like soup-ers. Complaints ranged from not liking the broth (tomato and vegetable stock base) to not enough spice – needs some chilli. It was minestrone soup – there is not supposed to be chilli in it, but on the plus side all enjoyed the orecchiette, pancetta and the beans.

Ingredients

• 5 x carrots
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 100g smoked pancetta
• 1 x stick celery
• 1 x medium sized onion
• 1 x garlic clove crushed
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 pints vegetable stock
• 200g shredded cabbage
• 1 x 400g can barlotti beans
• 2 Tbsp chopped basil
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Rustic loaf of bread or focaccia

Method:

1. Chop the pancetta, onion and celery into small pieces and put in a pan with some hot oil and the crush garlic, cook for 3 minutes then add the chopped carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes.
2. Next add the stock and the chopped tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add the cabbage, beans and pasta and cook uncovered for a further 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve in warm bowls topped with basil and parmesan cheese with bread for dipping.