Sausage, cavolo nero and chickpea minestrone

Name: Sausage, cavolo nero and chickpea minestrone
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 80 ml olive oil (⅓ cup); 250 gm pork and fennel sausages, casings removed, filling crumbled; 2 tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp dried chilli flakes; 2 celery stalks, diced; 1 Spanish onion, finely chopped; 1 large carrot, diced; 3 small garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 litre chicken stock (4 cups); 400 gm canned chopped tomatoes; 2 rosemary sprigs; 400 gm canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 80 gm soup pasta, such as risoni or stelline; ½ bunch cavolo nero, stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped; Finely grated parmesan and sourdough bread, to serve

Minestrone needn't take hours of your time to prepare. This version uses a few tasty shortcuts to condense the cooking time but not the flavour.

Aug 24, 2017 2:00pm

By Max Adey

Serves 4
10 mins preparation
30 mins cooking

This classic Italian soup spiced up with pork and fennel sausages is full of flavour, moreish and nourishing all in one. Consider making a double batch and have it for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

80 ml olive oil (⅓ cup)
250 gm pork and fennel sausages, casings removed, filling crumbled
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 celery stalks, diced
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, diced
3 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 litre chicken stock (4 cups)
400 gm canned chopped tomatoes
2 rosemary sprigs
400 gm canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
80 gm soup pasta, such as risoni or stelline
½ bunch cavolo nero, stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped
Finely grated parmesan and sourdough bread, to serve

Method

1
Heat 50ml olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add sausage and fry until browned (5-7 minutes), adding fennel seeds and chilli in the last minute of cooking.
2
Meanwhile, sauté celery, onion, carrot and garlic in remaining olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and light golden (5-7 minutes). Add to sausage along with stock, tomatoes and rosemary, season to taste, bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add chickpeas and pasta, stir to stop pasta sticking together, and simmer until pasta is al dente (5-6 minutes), adding cavolo nero in the last 2 minutes of cooking.
3
Season to taste, divide among bowls, scatter with parmesan and serve with sourdough bread.