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Italy, Europe · Minestrone

Genoese Minestrone with Pesto

Ligurian minestrone: a broth deepened with a Parmigiano rind, vegetables added in order of cooking time and a fresh basil pesto stirred in at the end.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time52 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThe pesto contains pine nuts. For a nut allergy, leave them out and add a little more cheese.

Method

  1. Prepare the vegetables. Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery (3–4 mm) and mince the garlic. Cut the potato and courgette into 1.5 cm cubes; top the green beans and cut them into 2 cm lengths. Rinse and drain the cannellini. Pick the basil leaves, wash them and pat completely dry with kitchen paper.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a 20 cm pot, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook slowly over medium-low heat for . Keep going until the vegetables smell sweet, are very soft and just golden at the edges; this is what gives the broth its depth.

    Add in this stepExtra-virgin olive oil 1½ tbspOnion 80 gCarrot 70 gCelery 60 gGarlic cloves 1

    medium-low heat

  3. Add the potato, stock and Parmigiano rind, bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for . The rind softens and releases a rich savoury flavour into the broth.

    Add in this stepFloury potato 140 gVegetable stock 700 mlParmigiano rind (5 cm pieces) 1

    high heat→low heat

  4. While it simmers, make the pesto. In a mortar, pound the garlic with the coarse salt to a paste, add the pine nuts and crush them, then add the basil a handful at a time, grinding with a circular motion into a deep green paste. Finally mix in both cheeses and stir in the olive oil in a thin stream. It takes about . If you use a blender, pulse in short bursts so the heat doesn't darken the basil.

    Add in this stepGarlic (for the pesto) ½Coarse sea salt (for the pesto) 1 pinchPine nuts 10 gBasil leaves (for the pesto) 20 gParmigiano Reggiano, grated (for the pesto) 15 gPecorino Romano, grated 8 gExtra-virgin olive oil (for the pesto) 35 ml

  5. Add the green beans, courgette, cannellini and pasta and simmer over medium heat for . Press a few pieces of potato and bean against the side of the pot with a ladle to thicken the broth naturally. It's ready when the pasta is tender and the green beans are still bright green.

    Add in this stepGreen beans 80 gCourgette (zucchini) 120 gCanned cannellini beans, drained 120 gSmall pasta (ditalini or similar) 40 g

    medium heat

  6. Fish out the Parmigiano rind and season with salt. With the heat off, let the soup cool for , then stir in half the pesto. Added to boiling soup, the basil loses its aroma and turns murky.

    Add in this stepSalt to taste

    heat off

  7. Ladle into bowls and top each with a spoonful of the remaining pesto. Stir it in as you eat.

Cook's tip

In Genoa this soup is often eaten lukewarm in summer. Walnuts work in place of pine nuts. Keep Parmigiano rinds in the freezer for soups; scrape off any wax or printing first. Leftover pesto covered with a layer of olive oil keeps for 3 days in the fridge.

Cooking it at camp

Make the pesto at home, pack it in a small jar topped with olive oil and keep it in the cooler. At camp you only cook the soup and spoon the pesto over each bowl. Pre-chopped vegetables in zip bags make it even easier.