Minestrone

Name: Minestrone
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: a sprig of thyme; a small handful of parsley stalks; 4 black peppercorns; 2 teaspoons flaked sea salt; 1 good teaspoon tomato purée; 1.2 litres water; 2 medium ripe tomatoes; 500 g broad beans in their pods, shelled; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 chicken carcasses, chopped into 6 pieces; 1 small onion, skin left on, roughly chopped; 3 large new-season garlic cloves, inner skins left on, roughly chopped, or 2 normal garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped; 3 large new-season garlic cloves, inner skins left on, roughly chopped, or 2 normal garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped; 2 new-season garlic cloves, finely sliced, or 1 normal garlic clove, finely sliced; 4 medium chard leaves, finely shredded; ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt; 2 new-season garlic cloves, finely sliced, or 1 normal garlic clove, finely sliced; 75 g young leeks, trimmed, cleaned and finely sliced; 300 g courgettes, finely diced; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 3 spring onions, finely sliced; Parmesan cheese; flaked sea salt; 12 large basil leaves; 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; ½ teaspoon dried chile flakes; 8 medium asparagus spears, trimmed of any woody stalk, finely sliced, head left whole; juice of ½ small lemon

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Good Table

By Valentine Warner

Published 2013

About

Minestrone means a lot of different things to a lot of different mothers in a lot of different kitchens in a lot of different towns from a lot of different regions and this one does not include pasta. No doubt some grandmothers will turn in their graves.

Ingredients

Chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken carcasses, chopped into 6 pieces
1 small

Gluten-free
Soup

Method

To make the stock, heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat and add all the stock ingredients except the tomato purée and water.

Fry everything hard, stirring from time to time, until the chicken carcasses and some of the veg are browned. Add the tomato purée 1 minute before the vegetables are ready. Add the water and bring the stock up to the gentlest heat so that it b