WINTER SOUP

This is inspired by homely Italian soups, but made with local winter ingredients.  You could easily add pumpkin, potatoes, cabbage or bacon to put your own mark on this!

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onions, diced

½ leek, sliced

1 stick celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 bay leaf (fresh is possible)

1 sprig rosemary

Vegetable stock

1 tin 390g cannellini beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 stalks silver beet, kale or cavalo nero, roughly chopped

50g parmesan or any strong hard cheese, shaved with peeler

Extra virgin olive oil for serving

Method

In a large heavy based pot add the oil and start by add the onion, leeks and celery sweat gently without colouring for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and herbs and cook for a further 3-5 minutes. I want to emphasise this first stage of sweating the ingredients as this will bring out so much of the natural flavours which will lay the foundations of a full flavoured soup!

Add the tomato paste and stir to coat all the vegetables and fry for a couple of minutes to darken the paste and deepen the flavour.

Cover with enough stock or water to just cover the ingredients, add the beans and season lightly with salt.  Cook gently for 30 minutes or until the vegetables and beans are soft and you want the stock of the soup to have a deep, intense flavour.  Add the greens and cook for at least another 15 minutes or until cooked.  Taste and adjust if necessary.

Serve in warm bowls with some form of strong, hard cheese on top and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a grind of black pepper.