As summer gradually fades, and the autumn begins to flaunt her glory, our thoughts turn to woolly hats and wellies, clearing leaves, crackling fires, cosy blankets, a good book, soups and casseroles.
This is a time of transition. A time of moving from one time to another. Some people are tired of what was, eager for the new. Others feel sad to let the old slip away. Unlike New Year’s Eve, the change in seasons is gentle and compassionate, understanding our frailties and vulnerabilities.
We often talk about ‘putting the garden to bed’ in the autumn – as if it were the end. But it’s not. It’s the beginning: the beginning of the gardening year. The work we put in now is an investment for the spring.
Clearing the kitchen garden in the autumn, when the vegetable plants have no more to give, is very dramatic. One minute you have so much growth, and, the next, you are faced with bare soil, leaving an enormous void. This always makes me feel a little melancholy, but that is okay. Embrace the emotion.
Gather the last of the beans, the spinach, the kale, and anything else you may have. Take it into your kitchen and make minestrone, a wonderful soup that can be as individual as you are.
The ingredient list below is just what I had in the kitchen garden, my fridge, and the store cupboard. So, see it as a guide. Use your ingredients and my method to create this nourishing, warming, and delicious soup that encapsulates the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 2 onions
- 4 sticks of celery
- 4 carrots
- 6 rashers of smoked bacon (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 6 fresh tomatoes
- Parmesan rind (if you have it)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2ltr chicken or vegetable broth (homemade or bought)
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh or dried oregano to taste
- Pasta – whatever you have. If you have odds and ends in the cupboard, put them in a tea towel and bash them a little to break them up.
- Handful of kale, calvo nero, spinach (or, if you are cooking with a four-year-old, like I was, some peas!)
- 1 tin cannellini beans (but any kind of beans will work)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Parmesan (to serve)
- Crudités (to serve)
Method:
- Wash, peel, and small dice the onions, celery, and carrot – otherwise known as ‘The Holy Trinity’.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan, add the bacon, and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook gently, stirring occasionally. Do be patient here; this is the foundation of your soup, and you can’t go back and redo this. You need the vegetables to be perfectly sautéed and golden before you move on.
- When you are happy with the colour of your vegetables, add the garlic and cook for two minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and loosen any vegetables that may be sticking.
- Add the stock, parmesan rind (if using), bay leaves, oregano, and tomato purée. Stir well. Put a lid on and simmer until the vegetables are almost soft.
- Add the washed and sliced vegetables, beans, and the pasta.
- Continue to simmer until the pasta has cooked.
- Season, to taste.
- To serve, make some cheese on toast then cut into small squares and pile on top of the soup. If you’re feeling extra decadent, grate some more cheese and sprinkle on top.
- Enjoy!
