Recipe

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• 10 tbsp oil
• 100 g pancetta
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch parsley
• 250 g borlotti beans
• 250 g tomatoes
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 1/2 savoy cabbage
• 250 g bread
• 1 piece parmesan cheese

• 1 Heat half the oil in a large wide, pan.
• 2 Once hot (but not smoking) add the (optional) pancetta, followed a couple of minutes later by the onion, carrot, garlic, and parsley. Give it a good stir.
• 3 Put a lid on it and cook slowly for 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly.
• 4 Tip half the beans in with the veggies and mash the other half with a potato masher before stirring them in too.
• 5 Pour in the tinned tomatoes and the stock, and chuck in any old rind of Parmesan (it's wise to keep these, as they are a great source of flavour).
• 6 When the soup has come to the boil, stir in the roughly chopped cabbage leaves and turn down to the lowest heat.
• 7 Season well, stir in the chunks of bread and put the lid back on the pan. Don't play with it too much, as you want nice chunks of bread.
• 8 After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, pour in another healthy glug of olive oil and let it sit with the lid on for a good 5 minutes before serving with yet more oil and some grated Parmesan.