Vegetable, bean and bacon soup

Ingredients

2 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
2 cups water
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
375ml can lite evaporated milk
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 bacon rashers, rind removed
1/2 loaf Turkish bread, cut into slices

Directions

1. Combine stock, water, potatoes, parsnips, leek and garlic in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
2. Ladle one-third of the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until almost smooth (it’s better if the soup is a little bit chunky). Pour into a clean saucepan and repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining soup. Add beans, evaporated milk, peas and mint to the soup and reheat.
3 .Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Cook bacon for 1 minute each side or until crisp. Roughly chop. Lightly toast Turkish bread under the grill.
4. Spoon soup into bowls, and top with bacon and mint. Serve with toasted Turkish bread.

Minestrone

INGREDIENTS

2 onions, peeled

2 carrots

2 courgette

2 celery stalk

2 potatoes,

2 tomato50g

2oz green beans

2 small cauliflower

1 small head of broccoli

1 Swiss chard leaf

3 tbsp olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves,

crushed100g/3½oz peas

3 handfuls of alphabet pasta

shapeshandful of spinach leavessea

salt and freshly ground black pepper

parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to serve



DIRECTIONS


1. Cut the onions, carrots, courgette, celery, potatoes and tomato into 1cm/½in dice.

2. Top and tail the green beans and cut them into 1cm/½in lengths.

Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets.

Separate the green leaf from the stalk of the Swiss chard and set aside.

Cut the stalk into 1cm/½in dice.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep saucepan, add the onions, carrots and garlic, and sweat gently for 2-3 minutes. Then add the courgette, celery, potatoes, green beans and Swiss chard stalk and sweat until the vegetables start to yield a little moisture.

4. Put half the peas in a bowl and crush with the back of a fork. Add to the pan with the whole peas and cook for 3-4 minutes.

5. Cover the vegetables with double the volume of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

6. Add the pasta, cook for 10 minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes.

7. Roughly chop the spinach and the Swiss chard leaf and add to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes longer, then add the tomato and warm through for a minute or two. Season to taste and serve with grated parmesan

Broccoli vith cheese

PREP TIME
15 Min
COOK TIME
30 Min
READY IN
45 Min

INGREDIENTS

8 cups fresh broccoli
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 eggs, beaten




DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Place broccoli in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add flour; cook until bubbly. Stir in onion and gradually add milk, stirring well. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and eggs; mix well. Combine mixture with broccoli and transfer to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Asparagus and mushrooms

PREP TIME
10 Min
COOK TIME
15 Min
READY IN
25 Min

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly spray a cookie sheet with vegetable cooking spray.
Place the asparagus and mushrooms in a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, then season with rosemary, salt, and pepper; toss well. Lay the asparagus out on the prepared pan in an even layer. Roast in the preheated oven until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.