Winter vegetable soup

Winter vegetable soup Put olive oil in a soup pot (a deep rather than wide saucepan) and add onion, celery, carrots and 2 Tbsp water. Season with ¼ tsp salt and grind on a little pepper. Add bayleaves and thyme. Cover with a lid and cook very gently for 20 minutes.

Add swede, pumpkin, potatoes and tomatoes, stir to combine, then add water and stock and bring to a gentle boil. Cook gently for about 1 hour, until everything is nice and tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the cavolo nero by stripping leaves off stalks (discard stalks). Chop roughly. Add chickpeas and cavolo nero to soup. Cook for a further 30 minutes, check seasoning, then serve ladled into bowls, with bread croutes in a side bowl.

If you want to make bread croutes, cut bread into large cubes. Toss with extra virign olive oil. Lay bread cubes on a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C, or until golden. Season with a handful of grated parmesan and a little sea salt.

From Taste magazine, June 2009.