OK, on this my first day on my new life, I decided to make soup because it is cold outside and I have a bit of a cold, and soup seemed like such warm, soft, kind comfort food. I came up with this variety of what my mother used to pass off as minestrone soup.

(serves 4)

1 onion

2 carrots

1 (tiny) parsnip

2 cloves of garlic

100 g of smoked tofu with almonds

1 can of beans

pasta

1/2 litre of broth

500 g of puréed tomatoes

Basil, salt and pepper to taste

Chop the garlic finely and the onion crudely. Peel the carrots and the parsnip. Grate the carrots and parsnip pretty finely. Take out a sizeable pot and heat some olive oil. Fry the garlic until it starts to turn slightly golden. Fry the onion and the other veggies. Dice the tofu into cubes about 1/2 centimetre. Toss them into the pot.

Pour on broth and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add some basil. Add pasta and cook until ready. When about a minute of the cooking time for the pasta remains, pour the beans into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Et voilà! It was actually pretty good, but you might want to add some bread to get something to chew on.