Name: Winter minestrone with pesto croûtes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion chopped; 100g unsmoked lardons or chopped streaky bacon; 2 large carrots chopped; 2 sticks celery chopped; 1 medium potato chopped; 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or crushed; 400g can chopped tomatoes; 1l vegetable stock (from granules or a cube); 2 tsp chopped sage leaves, or 1 tsp dried; few cabbage leaves, shredded; 400g can haricot bean; handful chopped parsley; slices of crusty bread; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp pesto

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
chopped
100g unsmoked lardons
or chopped streaky bacon
2 large carrots
chopped
2 sticks celery
chopped
1 medium potato
chopped
2 garlic cloves
finely chopped or crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
1l vegetable stock
(from granules or a cube)
2 tsp chopped sage
leaves, or 1 tsp dried
few cabbage
leaves, shredded
400g can haricot bean
handful chopped parsley

For the pesto croutes

slices of crusty bread
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pesto

Method

step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and lardons or bacon and fry for about 5 mins until the onion is starting to brown. Tip in the carrots, celery, potato and garlic, stir well and cook for a few minutes.
step 2
Add the tomatoes, stock and sage, and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat to simmer and cook partly covered for 30 mins, stirring in the cabbage after 15 mins. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pan with the parsley. Season and serve with pesto croûtes, see right, or crusty bread.
step 3
For the pesto croûtes: Cut 3-4 slices of crusty bread into chunks, about 2cm thick. Tip into an ovenproof pan. Mix the olive oil and pesto, then add to the bread, tossing it with your hands until the croûtes are evenly coated. Bake in a moderate oven for about 10 mins until crisp.