Hearty bacon and vegetable soup

Babiche Martens

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, chopped
3	Garlic cloves, chopped
2	Celery stalks, thinly sliced
1	Leek, sliced
2	Carrots, chopped roughly
1	Bacon hock (Main)
420 g	Chopped tomatoes (Main)
¼ cup	Marjoram
¼ cup	Thyme
¼ cup	Oregano leaves
1 ½ Ltr	Water
1 cup	Potato, diced
420 g	Cannellini beans, drained
1 cup	Baby spinach

Directions

1. In a large pot warm the oil. Add the onion, garlic, celery, leek and carrots, cooking for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
2. Add the hock, tomatoes, herbs and water, bringing to a simmer for 1½ hours.
3. Add the potato and beans, continuing to cook for 20 minutes until softened. Remove the hock and using a fork, remove the meat, then return it to the pot and discard the hock.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup and, just before serving, add the spinach.

More winter soups from Angela

• Pumpkin and red lentil soup
• Beef pho