Minestrone

This is a delicious way of using the tomatoes and spring greens – you can pretty much substitute any greens.

Ingredients

• 5-8 ripe tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 carrots
• ½ jar of tomato passata or tin of tomatoes
• 1 lt vegetable/chicken stock
• Couple of handfuls short pasta/fusili/penne
• Large handful of seasonal greens/spring greens/swiss chard etc.
• Left over Parmesan rind (if you have one)
• 2 tbs olive oil

Method

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, sauté the chopped garlic cloves in olive oil before the garlic starts to brown add the finely chopped onion. Cook for 5-10 minutes till the onion is soft and translucent, stir every now and again to stop it sticking/browning. Add the finely chopped carrots and sauté till softened. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes – stir and let this cook for 5 minutes. Then add the passata or tin of tomatoes, with their juice and the stock, (it works well with Marigold bouillon) and the parmesan rind. Bring to the boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the pasta, and after 5 minutes add the washed and roughly chopped greens. When the greens are cooked, check the seasoning and serve. Fish out the parmesan rind before serving! Serve with fresh grated parmesan.