It would be great if only we had such a creation as a split identity – a new dimension to ourselves that interacts with the world and which does the chores you’d rather maintain a distance of a 50-metre pole. But the reality is that you’re strapped for time, strapped for money, stressed out and pulling your hair out. It’s cold outside and your toes are poking through your last pair of socks – yes, those socks; the ones which came wrapped up nicely with a ribbon for your seventeenth birthday. Your stomach grows. Your fridge door is hanging off its hinges full of jars and bottles; mucky milk, mouldy mustard, rancid relish, putrid pesto. Perhaps the only “gourmet” ingredient you’ve seen in weeks is a tin of eerie brown coloured caviar. Perhaps, by the time you reached the end of this list of disgusting fridge contaminants, you’re on the floor laughing, rolling around in stitches.

But I can assure you that being in dire straits has happened to you more times than you’re comfortable to admit. The true art in cooking, in my opinion, is inventiveness with the ingredients on hand – the ability to create an indispensable number of dishes from similar bases. Thankfully, there’s a solution to your winter woes that doesn’t involve taking out a second mortgage on the house or selling that briefcase full of unused Dinky Toy cars. Read on to hear more about one of the best kept secrets of the Mediterranean coast.

The reality is that there are only a few of us who can say they are truly effective at multitasking, working under pressure and surviving the heat of the kitchen. That’s right, I’m referring to those few people who usually burn out like a lightbulb filament after a rave party and have a dramatic mid-life crisis mimicking a scene from American Beauty. You know exactly who I’m referring to; that shining office star, the grade-A nerd or the sports legend that you only wish you could emulate. Sadly, we can’t all be that glimmering diamond in the rough. But why compete? Why not follow the easy instructions in this recipe and let the all star-studded stellar cast of seasonable and colourful vegetables, carefully nursed broth and lingering flavour brighten your day and put the pep in your joie de vivre? As they say, if you can’t beat ‘em, then join ‘em. In this installment of winter recipies designed to fill you up and keep you hearty and gung-ho about your kitchen prowess; a family favourite is yours to keep. All this for free. That’s right. Zelch. Zero. No easy installments of $29.95 plus postage and handling, just heart and soul (and perhaps a few tears when it becomes time to chop and sauté the onions!).

Before you reach that boiling point, just remember that you’re not alone: I have yet to perfect the diabolical potion at the hands of Dr. Jekyll for the creation of a doppleganger with a fervour for completing all the things I hate to do in a routine. That’s why a quick stopover to the fresh groceries market is your antidote to the toxins affecting your body from overwork. You don’t have to be an expert on cucina povera (if such a thing is even possible) to be able to construct a cost-effective winter-warmer masterpiece. Everything from aniseed to zucchini finds itself at home in a minestrone and in a matter of a solid half-hour, you’ll find yourself slurping away on one of the healthiest and heartiest winter meals you’ve ever made yourself.

In continuation of the Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea winter catalogue, I present to you a minestrone made with you in mind: intuitive to your ingredients on hand, quick and simple and wonderfully attractive (see? I told you I was thinking about you when writing!)

My winter staple. Yum.