Recipe for winter vegetable and bean soup with spicy sausage

Just the thing for the cooler days: we make huge pots of this in winter, and I usually keep some in the freezer.

Kabanossi, a thin sausage which is widely available, gives a gutsy, slightly smoky flavour to the soup. It is not essential, though.

Serves 8-9

225g (8oz) rindless streaky bacon, cut into ¼ inch (5mm) lardoons

2 tbsp olive oil

225g (8oz) onions, chopped

300g (10½oz) carrots, cut into

¼ inch (5mm) diced

215g (7½oz) celery, chopped into

¼ inch (5mm) diced

125g (4½oz) parsnips, chopped into ¼ inch (5mm) diced

200g (7oz) white part of 1 leek, chopped into ¼ inch (5mm) slices thick, approx

1 kabanossi sausage, cut into one-eighth inch (3mm) thin slices

400g (1 x 14oz) tin of tomatoes

Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

1.7L (3 pints) homemade chicken stock

225g (8oz) haricot beans, cooked * (see below)

Garnish: 2 tbsp parsley, freshly chopped

Blanch the chunky bacon lardons, then refresh and dry well. Prepare the vegetables. Put the olive oil in a saucepan, add bacon and sauté over a medium heat until it becomes crisp and golden. Add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cover and sweat for 5 minutes. Next, add the parsnip and finely sliced leeks. Cover and sweat for a further 5 minutes.

Slice the kabanossi thinly, and add. Chop the tomatoes and add to the rest of the vegetables and the beans. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Add the chicken stock. Allow to cook until all the vegetables are tender, for approx 20 minutes. Taste, and correct the seasoning, if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lots of crusty brown bread.

* Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Next day, strain the beans and cover with fresh cold water. Add a bouquet garni, carrot and onion. Cover and simmer until the beans are soft but not mushy — anything from 30-60 minutes. Just before the end of cooking, add salt. Remove the bouquet garni and vegetables and discard.