richard Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls.
All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls.
Here’s the story, of a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own.
They were four men, living all together, yet they were all alone.
Till the one day when the lady met this fellow, and they knew that it was much more than a hunch. That this group would somehow form a family. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch.
That’s the way we became the Brady Bunch.
Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 – 50 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- cannellini beans – 400g can – drained
- 1 onion – chopped
- 1 leek – diced
- 2 carrots – peeled and cut to a small dice
- 2 courgettes – cut to a small dice
- 2 medium-sized potatoes – peeled and cut to a small dice
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- green beans – topped, tailed and cut into 3-4 small pieces – 100g
- fresh or frozen peas – 100g
- 1 tin of tomatoes – 400g
- small pasta shapes or spaghettini, broken into small pieces – 75g
- 1 bouquet garni of bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- olive oil
- s & p
For the pistou
- fresh basil leaves – a healthy bunch
- 4 big fat cloves of garlic
- 2 decent tomatoes – skinned, de-seeded and chopped
- parmesan cheese – grated – 75g
- olive oil – 150ml
Heat a generous slug of oil in large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, leeks and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
Next add all the other ingredients except the pasta, cover with water, season and simmer till the vegetables are tender.
Add the pasta and simmer till cooked. Adding extra water if the soup is too thick.
Meanwhile, for the pistou, blend the basil, garlic, tomato and cheese together in a food processor. Gradually add olive oil to make a pesto-like mixture.
Taste and season.
When the soup is cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve with a good spoonful of pistou.
Verdict: Less of a soup, more of a hearty meal. The pistou is a lighter (and tastier) version of pesto and can of course be used on its own as a very delicious pasta sauce.
Drink: A beer or two.
Entertainment: ‘Masterchef’ followed by ‘The Shield’, season 7, episodes 7 & 8. Gregg and John ditch the nervous twitchy mental unemployed one and Vic comes up with more cunning plans than Baldrick.
