I discovered this recipe by leaning over the shoulder of the angry, Italian mother that I lived with for some time in Alba, Piemonte. During my time there, I taught English to 3 different families, learning what I can about food and culture from the homes I lived in, all  separate regions of Veneto, Linguiria, and of course, Piemonte.

Anyways, the first of the many Italian recipes I have up my sleeve, Vegetable Soup.

The great thing about this soup is that it is OKAY if you do not have all the ingredients, you can make due with what you have in your vegetable drawer. Fill your cutting board!

A simplistic approach to a delicious lunch.

What you’ll need:

• 2 zucchinis (chopped)
• 5-6 carrots (chopped)
• 1-2 potatoes (chopped)
• 1/4 red onion (chopped)
• 1/4 broccoli (chopped)
• 1/4 cauliflower (chopped)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• punch of sea-salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• handful of cheese (asiago, or parm) (grated)
• handful of roasted almonds

Step one: Fill a pot with water. In this case, I used 4 litres of water.

Step two: Prepare and chop all vegetables.

Step three: Add salt to boiling water. Keep on high heat.

Step four: Add vegetables to boiling water, stir occasionally. Takes about 10 minutes for vegetables to cook fully.

Step five: Drain vegetables after they are cooked thoroughly, keep half of the water in the pot. 

Step six: Once drained, begin blending. You can use a hand blender, or like in my case, a good old fashioned potato masher. Mash to your preference, chunky, or smooth.

Step seven:  Add cheese.

Step eight:   Add olive oil.

Step nine: Mix/Stir.

Step ten: Serve, top with roasted almonds, feta cheese or both. Feeds four.