Italian Minestrone | I don't want my MTV

Ingredients

• 200g cannellini or borlotti beans, fresh, or dried and soaked overnight
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tomato, squashed
• 1 small potato, peeled
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 4 rashers smoked pancetta or bacon, preferably free-range or organic
• 2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
• ½ a head of fennel, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated
• 2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
• a glass of red wine
• 2 small courgettes, quartered and sliced
• 200g chard or spinach, washed and roughly sliced (including stalks)
• 565ml chicken, ham or vegetable stock, preferably organic
• 55g dried pasta
• a block of Parmesan cheese, to serve