Home made Minestrone - so different to shop bought version!

We had some Cavolo Nero left over, so I made a minestrone soup.  The River Café recipe is the closest to this but I can't find Swiss Chard in Ware for love or money :(  This is the winter version; they also do a summer version but it's not that time of year yet and it has too much cream in it for my liking!  This serves 4 as a supper dish served with extra virgin olive oil, fresh grated parmesan and a crusty baguette.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion
2 carrots
1 head of celery
½ a bulb of garlic
1 30g pack of flat leaf parsley
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
160g pack of Cavolo Nero
1 large head of spring greens
1 can cannellini beans
500ml chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated parmesan
1 baguette

Method

Peel the onions, carrots and celery and chop into large pieces.   Set aside the celery leaves for later.  Chop the onions, carrots and celery in the food processor finely to create the soffrito.  Heat the oil in a large pan and add the soffrito and fry over a medium heat until well cooked.  This takes quite a while.

While the soffrito cooks prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Peel and thinly slice the garlic, chop the parsley finely, prepare the chicken stock.  Prepare the cavolo nero and spring greens by cutting away the stalks, then slicing into thin strips and finally chopping to leave 5mm long slices of greens.   Wash the greens and leave them to drain.  Open the cannellini beans and drain, then take a quarter of the beans, add a little chicken stock and purée until smooth, setting this aside for later.

By now the soffrito should be cooked; add the garlic and half the parsley and cook for a further 5 mins.  Add the chopped tomatoes and reduce.

Once the tomatoes have thickened, add half of the greens, the remaining cannellini beans and the chicken stock, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins.  Adjust the seasoning to taste and add the rest of the greens, cannellini bean purée and the herbs and warm through until the greens are just cooked.

Serve in bowls with a warm crusty baguette, olive olive oil and parmesan.