Minestrone soup

Ingredients :
10 cups cooked red beans
1 or 2 zucchinis (courgettes), sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced
5 leaves spinach or chard, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells (or elbow macaroni)
200g tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes
3 tablespoons butter
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tablespoon oil

Method :
Crush 6 0r 7 cups of beans and leave the remaining beans whole.
Combine all remaining ingredients except pasta and basil.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Turn down heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add basil and pasta shells (or macaroni) and cook an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

recipe Minestrone Soup soup Italian

Potato, broccoli and mushroom soup

by Marlene Green

Ingredients :
50g (50 ml) butter
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
2 onions (finely chopped)
250g bacon pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
250g mushrooms (sliced)
250g broccoli (+/-), broken into little florets
50ml white wine {optional}
410g cream of chicken soup
300ml water
300ml milk
Juice and rind of ½ lemon OR 100ml sour cream
4 little sprigs of rosemary OR 10ml dry rosemary {added at the end}

Method :
1. In a large saucepan, brown the onions and garlic in butter, then add the bacon and cook until lightly brown. 2. Add the potatoes and mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 25 - 30min or until the potatoes are soft.
4. To finish off, add the rosemary and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (according to taste).

.

Tip : To add more richness and a tangy flavor, some stilton or blue cheese could be crumbled into the soup.

recipe potato broccoli mushroom soup

Chicken and sweetcorn soup

by Janet Anderson

Ingredients:
2 cups finely chopped chicken OR chicken strips (whatever is your preference)
1 onion chopped
1 stalk of table celery including the leaves
1 large potato peeled and diced
1 grated carrot (optional)
½ teaspoon Garlic
2 packets chicken noodle soup
1 can of cream style sweetcorn
1.5 litre water
2 tablespoons of cornflower (Maizena) made into a paste
Pepper

Method:
In a large saucepan, brown the onions, garlic and celery. Add the chopped chicken and brown slightly. Add the potatoes and 1.5 litres of water. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes allowing the flavours to infuse and the potatoes to soften.
Once the potatoes have softened, add the two packets of chicken noodle soup and the tin of cream-style sweetcorn and cook for a further 5 minutes or so.
Lastly stir in the paste of cornflower. Allow to warm through and thicken.
Bear in mind that the packets of Chicken Noodle soup already contain a fair amount of salt, so caution must be taken when adding additional salt.

Tip: Delicious with lightly buttered toast but one could give the soup a bit more substance by adding dumplings.

recipe chicken and sweetcorn soup