The River Cafe's winter minestrone
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 head of celery, coarsely chopped, keeping the leaves
- 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
- 1kg Swiss chard, leaves shredded and stalks roughly chopped
- a good handful of parsley, finely chopped
- 400g can peeled plum tomatoes, drained of most of their juices, roughly chopped
- 1kg cavolo nero, stalks removed, leaves shredded (or savoy cabbage)
- 410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- about 700ml boiling chicken or vegetable stock
- a few sprigs of winter herbs such as thyme or sage, chopped
- freshly grated parmesan
- extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Ready in 1¾ hours
Easy
Serves 5
- Heat the olive oil in a large
saucepan and slowly fry the
carrots, onion and celery until soft
and dark. This will take about 20
minutes but it’s worth it – the slow
cooking gives a lovely taste. Add
the garlic, chard stalks and half the
parsley, and stir to prevent sticking.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for
10 minutes or until reduced.
- Add half the Swiss chard leaves,
half the cavolo nero, three-quarters
of the beans, and the boiling stock.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Pour
in more stock if needed – don’t add
too much – it should be thick.
- Add the remaining Swiss chard
and cavolo nero and blanch briefly
so they remain green and crisp.
Season when slightly cooled.
- Purée the remaining cannellini
beans coarsely in a blender with
some of the cooking liquid. Add
to the soup – it should be very
green. Stir in the herbs and serve
hot with Parmesan and a drizzle
of extra virgin olive oil.
