Since I wasn't doing the Mother's Day thing today (my Mum lives interstate), I decided to at least cook up something that Mum used to make often on cold, wet, rainy, miserable Autumn/Winter days.

Minestrone

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 brown onions, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed (use the real thing!)
1kg beef shin bones (if you can't get these, 500g gravy beer or bacon bones works fine)
150g bacon, coarsely chopped
400g peeled tomatoes (tinned OK if not wanting fresh)
8 cups (2 litres) water
1 x 400g red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g dried macaroni pasta
4-5 silver beet leaves, finely shredded (just the leaves, not the white stalks)

Garnish:
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Shredded fresh parmesan
Crusty fresh bread


1. Heat the oil in large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes or until the onion is soft.

2. Add the beef shin bones, bacon and water to the pan, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour or until the beef falls off the bone. Remove the beef shin bones from the soup. Remove any scum that rises to the surface of the soup. Remove meat from the bones and chopped coarsely - return beef to soup.

3. Add the tomatoes, beans and tomato paste to the soup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until the mixture thickens.

4. Increase heat to medium. Add the macaroni and silverbeet to the soup and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes or until the macaroni is cooked. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

5. Ladle the soup among bowls and serve with basil and parmesan and serve immediately with crusty bread!


YUMMMM!