I made a big batch of Marcella Hazan's minestrone alla romagnola (the one she calls, in her book, "vegetable soup, Romagna style"). I followed the ingredients and amounts exactly as in her recipe, the one difference being that I used the stock I had, which was home-made chicken stock. You can get the list online quite easily as long as you're prepared to put up with all that American "cups" nonsense. Some food bloggers can't help messing about with recipes. I ignore ones that suggest adding rice or pasta (this one definitely doesn't need bacon either). Marcella doesn't, the soup is hearty enough as it is without, and if you do use such things you have to add them afresh every time you serve up the soup. No thanks. There's nothing worse than soup that's been sitting overnight with pasta or rice in it, and nothing better than soup that's been sitting overnight without... We managed nicely with some crusty bread...

It did us for two evening meals, the veg heaped up in bowls. There was quite a stack of delicious liquid left over (I served the soup with a slotted spoon). I heated it up, threw in a handful of red lentils and let them cook for 20 minutes, then threw in half a pound of baby spinach. Five minutes later I whizzed it with my hand blender. The result was four big mugs of delicious soup that did us the next two lunchtimes. Cucina povera!