Ingredients:
15g butter or 2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 leek
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 medium courgettes
2 waxy potatoes
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g can cannellini beans
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1.2 litres stock
1/2 Savoy cabbage
Salt and pepper to taste
4 thick slices bread at least a day old
Cheese of your choice to serve, I like Grana Padano
Method:
1. Heat the cooker on high adding the butter or oil or both if you wish.
2. Stir in the all the fresh vegetables except the cabbage and stir well.
3. Cover and cook for 25 minutes.
4. Heat the tomatoes, herbs, beans and stock in a pan or microwave until hot and stir into the vegetables.
5. Add the cabbage and season.
6. Stir well and add the bread in big chunks.
7. Cover and cook on high for 4 1/2 - 5 hours or on low for 7 1/2 - 8 hours. 8. Serve with the cheese.
Ribolito
A Tuscan vegetable soup, thickened with bread. Chop the vegetables as chunky as you prefer. You can almost add anything you like, and it is seriously filling.
Slow cooking in a thermal cooker
These recipes will work just as well in the Mr D Thermal Cooker, though there is a different technique. You bring your soup, or whatever you are cooking, to the boil and then place the pot into the thermal casing which allows the food to cook over many hours with no extra energy at all.