Spring Minestrone with Basil Pesto

spring minestrone

Minestrone is a “big soup” with all kinds of goodies in it. It's incredibly tasty and you can adapt it in many ways, depending on the season and what you have on hand. That's why there are loads of minestrone recipes out there, and every one of them is special.

Spring minestrone is light, fragrant and colorful. It's one of Jamie Oliver's favorite Italian recipes. And mine too, by the way.

The recipe comes from Jamie Oliver's magazine “Jamie”, which I've already written about. I modified it a little, though (my changes are in parentheses).

spring minestrone

Ingredients:

(serves 6)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, cut into thin strips
• 200 g baby carrots, thinly sliced
• 3 slices of bacon, diced (I used regular sliced bacon)
• 200 g young zucchini, thinly sliced
• Ham hock or pancetta (I didn't have any)
• 1 large tomato, cut into large dice
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 large handfuls of seasonal leafy greens, chopped (e.g. Swiss chard (mangold) or white cabbage)
• 2 large handfuls of peas
• 2 liters vegetable stock
• 150 g small pasta
• 2 large handfuls of lettuce leaves, torn into smaller pieces (I used lamb's lettuce)
• 1 head of radicchio or chicory (I used both)
• a few zucchini flowers (I didn't have any)

Pesto:

• 1 large bunch of basil (leaves only) + a few more for decoration
• 60 g pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 40 g grated Parmesan
• Good-quality olive oil

Heat a large, deep skillet and sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and diced bacon (if using) in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. If you're using sliced bacon, first fry it in a dry skillet so the fat renders out and the bacon turns crispy, then take it out of the pan. Next, add a little olive oil and sauté the rest the way I described above.

After 5 minutes, add the zucchini and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until softened. This is also the moment to add the ham hock. Add the tomatoes, parsley, lettuce leaves and peas, and pour in the stock so that everything is covered. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta and season to taste. Bring to a boil again, lower the heat and simmer slowly for 10 minutes.

For the pesto, grind the basil leaves with some salt in a mortar, add the pine nuts and garlic and keep grinding until you get a paste. Add the Parmesan and olive oil, mix, and season if needed (alternatively, you can blend everything with a blender).

Just before the soup is done, take out the ham hock (if you added it), cut it into small pieces and put it back into the soup. Add the lettuce, radicchio or chicory, and the zucchini flowers. Season to taste if needed and ladle into bowls. Top each serving with a big dollop of pesto and drizzle with olive oil. Finish with slices of bacon on top, decorate with basil leaves and serve.

Enjoy!