Brodo di Francesco - Francesco's vegetable broth

At heart, every Italian man is a mummy's boy, and Francesco is no exception. If he's down with the snuffles, or it's been a cold day, or... even in the height of blistering Italian summer, there's few things Fra prefers than a bowl of steaming hot brodo, like his mamma makes, with a hunk of bread for dipping.

Reputed to have mystical healing properties (think of it as an Italian "Jewish chicken soup"), its piss-easy to make, tastes fantastic and probably does make you feel a whole lot healthier afterwards...

You will need the following in any quantities and proportions you prefer. We both like it with a generous dose of celery, I quite like it with leeks:

carrots

onions

leeks

zucchini

garlic

potatoes

flat leaf parsley

water

olive oil

vermicelli or small stars pasta

pecorino or grana cheese

Chop up your veggies, heat some oil in a pan and start by softening the onions, celery, parsley and garlic.

Add the carrots and potatoes, then finally the zucchini. Cover the lot with salted water and leave to simmer for about 40 minutes. Whip out your blender, or if you're feeling authentic and old-fashioned, a granny-style vegetable musher and blend all your veggies together until smooth and not too watery.

Bring to the boil again and add some vermicelli, or small pasta stars if you're really hungry or simply enjoy the soup as it is. Drizzle some olive oil on top, a grating of cheese and serve with good bread.

And no drinking cold liquids with it, or you'll have Fra to deal with...