Summer Minestrone With Pesto Recipes

Steps:

• Set a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat, and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and just beginning to color, 5 or 6 minutes.
• Add garlic, bay leaf, tomato paste and red pepper. Cook, stirring, for another minute, then add wine, if using, and tomatoes, and bring to a brisk simmer.
• Add 8 cups water and a good pinch of salt and let mixture return to a brisk simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, then taste for seasoning. The broth should be well seasoned before the vegetables go in.
• Make the pesto: As the broth simmers, pound the garlic and salt to a paste in a large mortar. Beginning with a few basil leaves at a time, pound basil to a paste, then add parsley leaves and a little salt. Continue to pound until all the basil and parsley have been pounded into a coarse green paste. (Alternatively, many people may wish to make the pesto in a food processor.)
• Transfer to a serving bowl and whisk in olive oil and Parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set pesto aside covered with a thin layer of oil or with plastic film pressed against its surface to prevent oxidation.
• Add the zucchini, romano beans and pasta to the simmering broth and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until pasta is al dente. Add green beans and cook for a minute or 2.
• Ladle soup into bowls, topping each with a dollop of pesto. Pass more grated Parmesan at the table.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add broth and next 7 ingredients. Increase heat to high and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pot, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach; simmer 3 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 6 bowls; garnish each with 1 tablespoon pesto. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot add a 3-count of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, marjoram and basil. Saute gently until fragrant. Add the vegetables and cook a little of the moisture out, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Dump in the chicken stock and heavy cream bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 so the flavours can come together - do not let it boil hard. Remove half of the vegetables from the pot and puree and add back to the pot to thicken. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Serve each bowl with a spoonful of basil and mint pesto on top, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with watercress or parsley.
• Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until just combined and the pesto still has a lot of texture.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about a minute, and stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 quarts water, the turnip, zucchini, and the bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the canned beans. Taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
• While the soup is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Boil 5 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, allow to cool, and drain. Retain the cooking water in case you want to thin out the soup later.
• Add the pasta to the soup and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Stir the cooked green beans into the soup. Grind in some pepper and taste and adjust seasonings. It should be savory and rich-tasting.
• Stir in the basil or pistou, or place a spoonful of pistou in each bowl and stir in. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.

Steps:

• Toss the carrots, leeks, potatoes and fennel with the olive oil in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Add 5 cups water, the tomatoes, parmesan rind, 2 tablespoons pesto, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and cook on high until the vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours.
• Uncover and stir in the beans and ditalini. Cover and continue cooking on high until the pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon pesto and season with salt and pepper. Top each serving with more pesto, the parmesan and fennel fronds. Serve with the focaccia.

Steps:

• Make the basil pesto: Put basil, parsley and 2 chopped garlic cloves in a blender. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup olive oil and purée on high speed, scraping down sides as necessary. Pour into a small serving bowl, cover tightly and set aside.
• Make the soup: Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, season generously with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until softened. Add red pepper, saffron, 8 cloves minced garlic, bay leaf and thyme and let sizzle, then add tomato and simmer a few minutes more.
• Stir in cannellini beans. Add clams, in one layer if possible, and 1 cup water. Turn heat to high and put on lid. Keep at a rapid simmer until all clams have opened, about 5 minutes. (If desired, remove clams, shuck them and return shucked clams to pot.) Add fish stock and bring to a simmer. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.
• Just before serving, add squid, peas and fava beans, if desired, and simmer for 2 minutes. Ladle into shallow soup bowls and stir 2 teaspoons basil purée into each.

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium heat in a stockpot. Stir in leek and onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Pour hot vegetable broth into the pot and stir well. Add bay leaf and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Stir in zucchini and peas. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cover, and let simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Uncover the pot and stir in beans. Let simmer for 10 minutes; stir in pesto sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• Make the soffritto:
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook onions, leeks, and celery, stirring often, until soft but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt.
• Make the pesto:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool; crush using a small saucepan (you want a mix of sizes).
• Pulse garlic, basil, parsley, and 1/3 cup oil in a food processor until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix with Parmesan, lemon zest, crushed nuts, and remaining 1/3 cup oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Make the soup:
• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Cook thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 cup soffritto, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. (Reserve remaining soffritto for another use.) Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add sugar snap peas; cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add kale, beans, and peas and cook until kale is wilted and peas are tender, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.
• Serve soup, topped with some Parmesan and red pepper flakes, with toast and pesto.
• Do Ahead
• Soffritto can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill, or freeze up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Place beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours, then drain. Combine beans and 8 cups water in a large saucepan. Add onion, bay leaf, and prosciutto ends, if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until beans are just tender (but not mushy, as they should hold their shape in the soup), 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, reserving beans and 4 cups liquid; strain reserved liquid. Discard onion, bay leaf, and prosciutto, and cover beans.
• Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add celery, carrot, and onions, and cook, stirring often to prevent them from scorching on the bottom, until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Add leek and garlic to soffrito and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high, and then add sliced celery and carrots along with the potato, zucchini, and green beans. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are golden, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in reserved bean liquid, the tomatoes and juice, kale, cabbage, stock, cheese rind, prosciutto ends (if using), bay leaf, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 1 hour.
• Stir in beans and continue cooking until all vegetables are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes more.
• For basil pesto, cover garlic in a small saucepan with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately drain and let garlic cool to room temperature.
• With a large mortar and pestle, pound together basil, garlic, pine nuts, and salt until the basil is pulverized and the pine nuts and garlic are pasty, about 10 minutes. Add the cheese and pound to incorporate. Mixing vigorously, pour in the oil in a slow steady stream, and mix until combined (it will not be emulsified). Serve immediately or cover with a layer of oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
• Ladle soup into bowls, incorporating beans and vegetables in each and top with pesto and grated cheese, if desired. The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days; thin with water, if necessary, before reheating over gentle heat.