Zupa Pomidorowa
Serves 4, generously
Ingredients
100g filini pasta noodles
Extra virgin olive oil - enough to cover the bottom of the pan
1 onion, finely chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
Small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, keep chopped stalks aside to cook with onions
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
100g red lentils, rinsed
2 carrots, grated
1 courgette, grated
½ hispi cabbage, shredded
1kg passata
1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Pinch of sea salt
Few grinds of black pepper
Method
Leave the lid on at each stage when you are cooking this soup, the steam helps the vegetables cook nicely and more efficiently.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the noodles. Cook according to packet instructions, drain and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Set aside and stir through a good slosh of olive oil.
Put the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on a gentle heat and add the onions, garlic, celery and parsley stalks followed by the herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir and let cook until soft but not browned. This takes about 10 minutes. If the onions start to stick, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.
Stir in the lentils and a small cup of water and cook for five minutes.
Add the carrots, courgette, cabbage and a another cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables and lentils have softened, stirring occasionally. This takes about 15 minutes.
Stir in the passata and tomato puree. Leave to simmer with the lid off for a good five minutes until the tomato is well combined with the vegetables.
Take the pan off the heat, remove the bay leaf and blitz with a hand blender until roughly blended. Stir through the cannellini beans and pasta, return to the heat to bring the soup back to temperature and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Finally take off the heat, stir through the parsley, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.