Wednesday

FAMILY MINESTRONE SOUP INGREDIENTS

• 2 onions, peeled and chopped

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes

• 3 sticks celery, sliced

• 250g baby potatoes,

peeled and diced

• 6 baby marrows

(courgettes), sliced • 90g green beans, topped and cut into small pieces • 250g cabbage, shredded

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 tins whole, peeled tomatoes

• 3t chicken stock powder

(or use chicken stock made on Sunday instead of water and stock powder)

• 5 cups water

• 1 tin cannellini beans

• salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add onions and cook over medium heat till pale golden brown.

2 Add carrots, cook for two to three minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat for each of the other vegetables you add.

3 Mash the undrained tomatoes. Stir in with the stock and water.

4 Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1½–2 hours.

5 During the last 15 minutes, stir in the drained and rinsed beans. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a little grated Parmesan and fresh ciabatta.

BABY

CARROT PUREE

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 Place carrots in a saucepan of lightly boiling water, cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until very tender. 2 Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and puree to a smooth consistency, adding as much of the reserved liquid as needed.

TIP You can serve this soup to older babies (from 9 months) by leaving out the seasoning and liquidising the soup in a blender or food processor.