thingamestrone

um… weather… hello!?!?!

The Big V picked me up from Lincoln station today and after a gentle stroll up and down Steep Hill, with its myriad chocolate shops and fancy boutiques… it really is a lovely city, the giant Cathedral dominating all it surveys… we had lunch (of course) followed by a trip to Waitrose… sigh…

… and then winter set in back at the cottage and quite frankly who can blame her… summer did a lousy job of it so someone may as well take over…

… chunky veg soup is the only answer and this is my answer to minestrone.  I’m using new potatoes today instead of pasta because they had some lovely looking local ones in the supermarket… do I need an excuse?… no.

Recipe


1 onion – finely chopped
1 large carrot – chopped chunkily (is this a word?)
2 celery sticks – chopped chunkily
1 leek – chopped chunkily
a tin of chopped toms
a generous handful of new potatoes – chunked
1 courgette chopped
a handful of chopped cabbage
a large handful of runner beans – chopped into bits
2 cloves garlic

2 pints good veg stock
a selection of herbs and seasoning

saute the onion in a large heavy pan on a low heat till translucent and then add the carrot and celery and a selection of fresh herbs (i used rosemary and thyme and a bay leaf) put the lid on to sweat for 5 mins (the veg… not you)

add the rest of the veg and the tinned toms and place the lid on again for another 5 mins.

then add the stock and a glug of white wine and the two whole garlic cloves and let it simmer gently with the lid on for as long as you can… it should really cook slowly for an hour or two… but you need to watch it doesn’t reduce too much… in fact if you can make this the day before your reward for patience will be an intensely flavoured chunky soup.

the giant cheesy crouton is exactly that… very strong cheddar on toast.

eat and of course, enjoy!