We were lucky to have a lot of tomatoes from our two cherry-tomato buckets. Here is an autumnal recipe (with a personal twist, of course) of my favorite tomato based soup - Minestrone.
Cooking time for maximum flavor is around 2 hours on a lazy Sunday night or one hour on a weekday for a less spectacular result.
You will need (in order of usage):
- butter (a reasonable quantity)
- olive oil (I prefer Bertolli, extra virgin)
- 2 cups chopped onions (or just one big onion chopped)
- one chilli (hot!)
- one portion Knorr Bouillon Pur with herbs and garlic (or fresh beef stock instead of water... )
- water (1l or more)
- 3 to 4 large carrots chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 500ml passata (best possible quality)
- 500g tomatoes (chopped, I do not worry about de-seeding)
- 1 can of red kidney beans
- 1 cup small pasta shells
- a healthy bunch of fresh oregano & rosemary (from the balcony or garden!)
- salt & pepper
I cook onions until slightly translucent, mix in the stock concentrate, crushed chilli and add water. Bring to slow boil, add diced carrots. When carrots have cooked for 10-15min, add zucchini, passata and tomatoes. Return to boil and simmer. Add kidney beans, pasta and herbs - cook until pasta is ready. Remember to take out any rosemary sprigs before serving. As with most soups, it tastes even better the next day.
I use Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs to decorate. Buon appetito!
