This week has been a pretty busy week for me and the family. Rain means kids inside and I've been taking Hazel for extended swimming lessons - quite difficult when I can't seem to get her to put her head under the water!

So I discovered the joy of making soups again, Ribolita is easy, wholesome and a really affordable winter soup. Ribolita itself is a famous Tuscan soup, a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include lefotover bread, cannellini beans and vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, beans, silverbeet, cavolo nero and onion.

Ribolita soup (serves 6)

So nice you eat it twice!

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

3 carrots, peeled and large diced

1 cup chopped celery

4 bay leaves

1 x 400g can whole peeled tomatoes

1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained

1 ltr water

1 stock cube

½ tsp crushed toasted fennel seeds

Zest of 1 lemon

Rind of good quality parmesan cheese

6 ciabatta rolls or ciabatta loaf

Method

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or casserole. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add carrot, celery and bay leaves. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, beans, water and stock cube. Cook for 10 minutes, add parmesan rind, lemon zest and olives. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Serve with warm ciabatta.