A Big Ol' Pot O' Soup..

Waking up this morning to grey, threatening clouds - put me in the mood for some soup...any type really, I love soup.

So I went with a minestrone type soup...very nourishing and my daughter loves it, my son though, well he is fussier so what I do for him is, blitz his up so it is a puree consistency and then I cook him up some pasta and it is poured over the top like a pasta sauce. Then, my inner peace is restored - knowing he has eaten a few veggies...ahh kids...and all I can think is, "Hey better than McDonalds!" cacca crap...

Usually, when I make soup with beans in it, I like to soak them overnight, but I always have a few cans of beans ready to go in the pantry too..so this time, I used tinned beans and also, use a tin of good quality, Italian tinned tomatoes...none of this homebrand crap..they gotta be Italian.

1 large brown onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
drizzle of good olive oil
1½ litres of vegetable stock
1 400g can diced tomatoes
1 400g can of borlotti beans
¼ C peas
½ C risoni pasta (or any other soup pasta)
sea salt flakes (mine is from the Indian Ocean in Western Australia ♥)
cracked black pepper


Prepare and chop all vegetables.



Drizzle some olive oil into your pot.

Add all the onion, garlic and veg and saute for approx. 5 minutes, until veg soften and onion goes opaque.





Add the tin of tomatoes, stirring through and then the S&P and stock.








Bring soup to the boil, and then reduce the heat until it is simmering

Allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Add peas, borlotti beans and pasta.








Cook until pasta is al dente.

Dish up...I like to serve it with a mound of freshly grated parmesan in the middle and some cute little basil leaves, the hot soup melts the parmesan into a big cheesy goo and then the aroma of the basil just leaves you begging to eat this soup!

Nonna's Sugo Di Carne ("Sauce of Meat"/Bolognese)

This is simply the best Bolognese sauce you will ever make. Don't be surprised if people on the street raise their noses in wonder as they pass your kitchen. The aroma in your house will be incredible, so be prepared for total greatness!

I was raised on this food, so many memories surround this meal for me. Now, I am raising my kids on the same food I was raised on - good italian cooking, so this recipe, passed on to me from my Mum, and to her, from her Mum (my Nonna) is being passed on to my kids - they LOVE it, so Grazie Nonna - milione baci per voi! xox

• 1 kg lean minced beef
• 1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
• 2 Tb olive oil 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 medium celery stick, finely chopped
• 1 C dry white wine (yes, I use white or red, doesn't matter)
• 2 tins (400g each) whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 heaped Tb tomato paste
• 2 C water
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• handful of fresh basil, torn (if you have some)

1. Chop onions, carrots and celery finely, set aside.
2. Chop garlic, set aside.
3. Heat a pan on medium high heat, put in a lug of olive oil and add the chopped vegetables and garlic.
4. Saute this briefly until the onions turn opaque.
5. Add mince, break mince up, keep stirring and brown thoroughly.
6. Add 1 cup of white wine, this will create a wicked sizzle and will deglaze the pan and soften all the flavoursome bits on the bottom of the pan.
7. Allow it to reduce by approximately half and then add the salt and pepper and tomato paste, letting the tomato paste cook down a little bit.
8. Add tomatoes and water - put lid on and allow to slowly simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occassionally.
9. Just before serving, tear up the fresh basil and stir it through the sauce!
10. Serve with steaming hot pasta, and a good shaving of parmegiano reggiano..