Name: Sausage, cavolo nero and chickpea minestrone
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 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

Sausage, cavolo nero and chickpea minestrone

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

Serves 4

Prep

10M

Cook

30M

Total

40M

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.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Styling by Emma Knowles