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Tuscan vegetable soup

Preparation time

less than 30 mins

Cooking time

30 mins to 1 hour

Serves

Serves 6

By Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi

From Return to Tuscany

Ingredients

For the soffritto

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 sprig rosemary
4 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup

200g/7oz carrots, chopped
200g/7oz celery, chopped
200g/7oz potatoes, chopped
200g/7oz courgettes, chopped
small piece of rind from a ham (optional)
1.5 litres/2¼ pints stock (vegetable or chicken stock are both fine)
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with the juice and seeds squeezed out

Method

For the soffritto, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves until golden, about 15 minutes.
Remove the rosemary sprig and bay leaves and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To make the soup, add the carrots, celery, potatoes and courgettes and cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously but gently. Add the ham rind at this stage if you are including it (remember to remove it before serving the soup). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Add the stock and cook over a low heat for another 20-30 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Serve.