SPRING VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP

This is a lovely soup -- very simple and traditional. If you want to give it an Italian vibe, simply add a can of diced tomatoes, the torn leaves from a few sprigs of fresh basil, and some broken spaghetti -- delicious.

Serves 6–8
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
1¾ quarts chicken or vegetable broth preferably organic
1 x 15-ounce can of cannellini beans
2 cups cauliflower
2 cups broccoli
7 cups (7 ounces) spinach leaves
2 large ripe tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

To make your soup
Peel and roughly slice the carrots
Slice the celery
Peel and roughly chop the onions
Peel and slice
the garlic

Put the broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling
Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon
Cook for around 12 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden
Meanwhile, drain your beans
Break up the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets
Roughly chop the spinach
Quarter the tomatoes, removing any stalks
Add the boiling broth to the vegetables in the pan
Add your cannellini beans, cauliflower,broccoli, and quartered tomatoes
Give the soup a good stir and bring to a boil
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on

To serve your soup
Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a further 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat. If you like your soup a little less chunky, you can take out half of it, blend it using an immersion blender or liquidizer, then stir it back into the pan. Season carefully with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

All recipes from "Jamie’s Food Revolution," by Jamie Oliver
Copyright (c) 2009, Published by Hyperion
Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved