SAUSAGE, ORZO & WHITE BEAN SOUP

ServeS 8

6 free-range pork sausages 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 celery sticks, grated 2 large carrots, grated 2 bay leaves 1 small bunch thyme 2 litres (8 cups) chicken stock 1 tsp brown sugar 1 cup orzo pasta 1 x 400g can cannellini beans 2 cups greens (baby spinach,

cavolo nero, kale, silverbeet)

To serve

Grated parmesan Bread (optional) With damp hands, squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins and roll it into small balls (I got seven little meatballs from each sausage). Heat a large pot over a high heat, then fry the meatballs in the olive oil until slightly browned. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, before adding the grated celery and carrots and cooking for a further minute.

Tie the bay leaves and thyme together tightly with kitchen string (so they’re easy to discard later) and add them to the pot with the chicken stock, brown sugar and orzo pasta. Cover and bring to the boil. When the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes or until the pasta is almost cooked. Rinse and drain the cannellini beans and add to the soup with the greens. Cook for 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme.

Taste the soup and season it with pepper (it may or may not need salt, depending on your stock, and remember the parmesan will season it too). Ladle into bowls, top with parmesan and serve with bread. Or cool to room temperature and freeze for up to 2 months.

If you’re reheating the leftovers the next day and the soup is too thick (the pasta will absorb the liquid), simply add a little water. •