Minestrone Soup

The ingredients of the soup are: shredded carrot, half a red pepper, one chopped red onion, chopped celery, haricot beans (actually half a standard tin of baked beans), tomato passata (about 150g), shelled peas, spinach and coriander, two pinches of oregano, a handful of spelt grains, and broken spaghetti pasta. Plus a dessert spoonful of cornmeal, chicken stock, and vegetable stock.

Start with the vegetables. Stir fry the carrot, pepper, onion and celery in sunflower oil at a medium heat until tender. Shred the spinach and the coriander and stir into the pan. Add about 200g of boiling water, then add the passata, the peas, and the haricot beans. Add the chicken and vegetable stock.

Add the broken pasta. Add some finely ground cornmeal in water, as a thickening agent (a flat dessert spoonful in about half a pint). Mix the cornmeal and water cold, then add to the soup in the pot. Turn down the heat to prevent adhesion to the bottom, and stir frequently. Simmer for one hour before serving, stirring regularly.