Potage Minestrone

Ingredients                          

Mixed vegetables (onion, leek,

Celery,carrot,turnip,cabbage) 300g

Butter, margarine or oil 50 g

White stock or water 750ml

Bouguet garni

Green peas 25g

French beans 25 g

Spaghetti 25 g

Potatoes 50 g

Tomato purees 200ml

Tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded, diced 100 g

Fat bacon 50 g

Chopped parsley

Garlic 1 clove

Salt, pepper

Method

1. Cut the peeled and washed mixed vegetables into paysanne.
2. Cook slowly without colour in the oil or fat in the pan with the lid on.
3. Add stock, bouquet garni and seasoning, simmer for approx. 20 minutes.
4. Add the peas, beans cut in diamonds and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the spaghetti in 2 cm (1in) lengths, the potatoes cut in paysanne, the tomato puree and the tomatoes and simmer gently until all the vegetables are cooked.
6. Meanwhile finely chop the fat bacon, parsley and garlic and form into a paste.
7. Mould the paste into pellets the size of a pea and drop into the boiling soup.
8. Remove the bouquet garni correct the seasoning.
9. Serve grated parmesan cheese and thin toasted flutes separately