The River Cafe's winter minestrone

• olive oil↗2 tbsp tbsp
• medium carrots↗2

  roughly chopped

• large red onion↗1

  coarsely chopped

• head of celery1

  coarsely chopped, keeping the leaves

• head of garlic1

  cloves peeled

• Swiss chard↗1kg kg

  leaves shredded and stalks roughly chopped

• parsley↗a good handful of

  finely chopped

• can peeled plum tomatoes↗400g g

  drained of most of their juices, roughly chopped

• cavolo nero↗1kg kg

  stalks removed, leaves shredded (or savoy cabbage)

• can cannellini beans↗410g g

  drained and rinsed

• boiling chickenabout 700ml ml

  or vegetable stock

• winter herbs such as thymea few sprigs of

  or sage, chopped

• freshly grated parmesan

  or vegetarian alternative

• extra-virgin olive oil↗

  for drizzling

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and slowly fry the carrots, onion and celery until soft and dark. This will take about 20 minutes but it’s worth it – the slow cooking gives a lovely taste. Add the garlic, chard stalks and half the parsley, and stir to prevent sticking. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced.

2. 2

   Add half the Swiss chard leaves, half the cavolo nero, three-quarters of the beans, and the boiling stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Pour in more stock if needed – don’t add too much – it should be thick.

3. 3

   Add the remaining Swiss chard and cavolo nero and blanch briefly so they remain green and crisp. Season when slightly cooled.

4. 4

   Purée the remaining cannellini beans coarsely in a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Add to the soup – it should be very green. Stir in the herbs and serve hot with Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.