Recipes from Rome : Using Up

 
I hate waste at the best of times and couldn't bear to get rid of this dried up, wrinkled piece of parmesan rind which was all that remained from a visit to a favourite deli in Rome, La Tradizione. Imagine, therefore, how delighted I was to read the phrase 'And feel free to throw in an old piece of parmesan rind which will add extra flavour', in a recipe for minestrone soup by Elizabeth Minchilli

 
In an ideal world I would be using ready prepared vegetables from a local Roman market but an 89p soup mix from Aldi is a worthy substitute. The required amount of vegetables is reached by combining the mix with a raid on the bottom of fridge drawer which yields some celery, a red pepper and a lonely looking parsnip as well as a head of savoy cabbage.


First, an onion and garlic is softened slowly in plenty of olive oil.


 The cabbage is wilted in next followed by the rest of the vegetables.


 Finally enough liquid is added to cover the vegetables. The recipe uses water but I had chicken carcass stock to use up so, naturally, I used that. In went the parmesan rind and an hour later the soup was ready. Simples!