Tuffy P asked me to make what she referred to as “one of your soups” this week, so today I made a super-hearty minestrone.

This is serious soup. It includes onions, Swiss chard, pasta, red beans, chick peas, tomatoes, celery, garlic, and a mix of herbs including oregano, rosemary, thyme and basil. I’m going to grate a little good quality cheese to sprinkle on top, because….well, you might as well include the kitchen sink in something like this. I also bought a loaf of crusty Italian bread to serve with it.

A hearty soup might just make winter worthwhile.