Winter Vegetable Minestrone Recipe

Ingredients

12g dried porcini mushrooms
1 leek
1 carrot
1 parsnip
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
700ml boiling water
400g chopped tomatoes
75g spaghetti
100g Brussels sprouts

Prep: 15mins | Cook: 15 mins

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Method

1. Fill and boil your kettle. Tip the dried porcini mushrooms into a heatproof jug and cover them with boiling water. Set aside to soak.

2. Trim the roots and top 3cm off the leek, then halve it, rinse out any grit and finely slice it. Scrub, trim and finely chop the carrot and parsnip into small chunks (no need to peel them unless you want to). Peel and grate or crush the garlic.

3. Warm a pan on a medium heat for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the leek with a pinch of salt and fry for 4-5 mins, stirring often, till browned.

4. Meanwhile, drain the porcini mushrooms and squeeze out any remaining liquid. Pop the mushrooms back in the jug and cover with 700ml hot water from the kettle. Set aside to infuse.

5. Add the garlic, parsnip and carrot to the pan, and stir for 1 min. Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and the porcini mushrooms with their stock, then turn the heat up to a bubble. Snap the spaghetti into small pieces and add to the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer for 8 mins.

6. While the soup is simmering, trim the Brussels sprouts and finely shred them. When the soup has simmered for 8 mins, add the sprouts. Cook for 2 mins, lid off to keep the sprouts green, till the pasta is cooked and the sprouts have softened.

7. Taste the soup and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle into warm bowls and drizzle each bowl with 1 tsp olive oil to serve.