Minestrone

Jamie says, “Save the rinds from your Parmesan cheese and pop into your soup for some extra flavour, just remember to remove before serving – those little piece of rind that you’d normally throw away are super tasty and not to be wasted.”

Fresh from the garden: loads!
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
Serves: 8 or 30 tastes

What to do:

• Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the potato under running water and then dice. Peel and chop the garlic. Wash and finely chop the carrots. Wash and finely chop the celery, including the leaves. Wash and finely chop the zucchini. Wash the leek thoroughly, peeling back the layers under running water, and finely slice.
• Heat a large pot over a medium heat and add a lug of olive oil. Throw in the onion and fry it gently until it starts to smell fantastic. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, zucchini, leek, oregano and bay leaf and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the tomatoes, potato, drained and rinsed chickpeas and vegetable stock or hot water and bouillon, then cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile wash the kale and shake dry, then remove the stalks (and discard) and chop the leaves into thin ribbons. Wash the basil, pick the leaves and spin them dry. Measure the parmesan and grate it.
• Add the kale and pasta, and cook for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked. If the soup is too thick for you after cooking the pasta, thin it with a little more hot water.
• Snip the basil leaves with scissors into thin ribbons and then stir into the soup with a grind of black pepper. Taste to check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.
• Finish by ladling into soup bowls and sprinkling a little Parmesan on. Serve!

Notes: Where does minestrone originate? What is parmesan rind? What is another name for chickpeas?