My Minestrone Soup

When I first got married, many years ago, I couldn't cook, let alone boil an egg. Since then with lots of help from my family I think I'm a pretty okay cook and that's saying something considering I have married into an Italian family.

Today the weather is cool, the sun is hidden behind the clouds and it feels like a real Brisbane winter's day. One of the staples in our house is Minestrone Soup. This is an old recipe but it's a cracker and it will be perfect on a cool night like tonight.

I can only cook it on the weekend as there is never enough time during the week. I have to start it by 3pm to have it ready for 6pm. The house smells amazing whilst it's cooking. Here's the recipe.

Minestrone

2 onions, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

3 sticks celery, finely chopped

250g potatoes, diced

2 zucchini, diced

90g green beans, chopped

250g cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup oil

45g butter

1 1/4 litres of water

3 beef stock cubes

2 x 400g cans peeled whole tomatoes

400g tomato puree

310g can cannellini beans

1/3 packet of Angelo's Beef Raviolini

salt and pepper

Method

Heat oil and butter in a large pot, add onions, cook over medium heat until onions are pale golden brown. Add carrots, cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat this procedure with the potatoes, then the celery, zucchini, beans and cabbage.

Stir in water, crumbled stock cubes and undrained, mashed tomatoes and tomato puree.

Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the soup is thick.

During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in drained and rinsed cannellini beans and raviolini.

If desired, parmesan cheese can be stirred into the soup before serving or served separately with the soup. Serves 4 to 6.

This is just one of the recipes that's in my Family Favourites Recipe book (which now stands at 72 pages) that I've been compiling since I was first married. I'll make a copy of this book and give it to Miss P and Master P when they leave home one day.

Until next time xx