Cannelini bean minestrone

This is such a great, warming, thick soup for yet another wet winter day. I'd spent the morning trying to shore up the chickens pen, so they weren't sloshing about in stinking mud. Normally they free range but the fox has been visiting, and took my pair of Barnevelders on Monday so sadly the rest of the flock are confined to barracks for a bit. Anyway two hours squelching around in the wet, lugging sacks of damp chip bark about and I needed a quick, comforting soup.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

Large spoonful of frozen tiny veg mix ( if you haven't discovered this, it's AMAZING. Finely chopped onion, celery and carrot in the freezer section of most supermarkets.)
2 crushed garlic bulbs
I can cannelini beans
Pancetta cubes, or finely chopped bacon
Tiny pasta shapes (optional)


Fry off the frozen veg, and the garlic, them add the can of beans, liquid and all. Add a little more boiling water and a chicken stock cube. Simmer for about ten minutes. Meanwhile grill/fry the pancetta or chopped bacon. If you want pasta in the soup cook it separately until al dente, then add to the soup. I cooked it in the soup which was a mistake as it took ages, and everything kept sticking. Blitz the soup with a blender THEN stir in most of the pasta and bacon, and serve, garnished with a bit of bacon, pasta, some parsley and swirl of cream. As you can see I forgot to reserve any for the garnish!

Microwave ratatouille.

I love ratatouille but somehow can never be bothered to wait around cooking it, frying off all that veg and baking it. So this was an experiment to do a speedy version using my new SISTEMA microwave steamer. I've got large drawer of microwave "ware" but having recently become a bit of a devotee to this brand.

First choose your aubergine, ideally they look like the one on the left, as the right hand one seems to have been brawling on a Friday night.

2 medium aubergines
3 sticks celery
1 carrot
1 shallot
1 fennel
3 bulbs of garlic, you'll prob want less but I'm paranoid about getting a cold at the moment.
(Plus any other dodgy looking veg lurking in the salad drawer.)


Chop up your veg, not too small. Smash the garlic and chop it. Put everything into your steamer (any covered microwave dish will do.) Microwave on high for about 10 ,minutes, until anything you test is soft in texture. Stir in a bit of ready made tomato sauce (I use sainsburys pasta tomato & herb sauce, it tastes fab and is pretty cheap.) Gently stir in the cherry tomatoes, some salt and pepper then put the whole lot under a grill, or ideally an oven/grill combo until browned. Stir again and lavishly apply chopped parsley/basil. I forgot my carrot, but the mix of veg isn't that important, use what ever you like. Classic ratatouille consists of aubergine, tomato and carrot, celery onion and garlic, but feel free to experiment. I meant to put in some new potatoes to appease my husband and bulk it out a a bit. I also forgot those, so we had them on the side, steamed with butter and chives.