Minestrone Soup

Thank you Rita from Victoria for this hearty family soup recipe:

Ingredients

90g Red Kidney Beans
1kg Shin of Beef, on the Bone
5 Litres Water
1 Large Brown Onion (Sliced)
12 Peppercorns
Salt
2 Large Tomatoes (Skinned)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Stalk Celery (Sliced)
1 Carrot (Chopped)
1 Clove Garlic (Crushed)
125g Pork Belly (Diced)
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
125g Cauliflower (Course Stalk Removed)
Freshly Ground Pepper
60g Fine Spaghetti
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Method

1 Soak red kidney beans in water overnight.

2 Put the shin of beef in a large saucepan with the water and simmer covered with the onion, peppercorns, drained kidney beans & 2 teaspoons of salt for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

3 Skim the surface occasionally to clear the stock.

4 Strain the stock into a separate container.

5 Remove the meat from the bone and add to the stock.

6 Cool and then refrigerate.

7 When the fat has set on the surface of the stock, remove it.

8 Cut the tomatoes into quarters and saute in hot olive oil with the celery, carrot & garlic for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are golden brown.

9 Add the stock to the vegetables and the diced pork, the tomato paste & cauliflower broken into small pieces.

10 Season with salt and pepper and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.

11 Add the spaghetti.

12 Simmer for another 15 minutes.

13 Serve sprinkled with helping of parmesan cheese.