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Minestrone Primavera with Fresh Pesto

A spoonful of fresh pesto lifts delicate soups beautifully. Pesto can also be stirred through pasta and even slathered into sandwiches - cover any that’s left over with a layer of olive oil and you can store it in the fridge for a few days.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Minestrone
½ head Celery, finely chopped
2 Salad onions, finely chopped
200g Waxy potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
1-2 tbsp Olive oil
100g Freshly podded peas
150g Asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2cm pieces
150g Fine green beans, trimmed and chopped into 2cm pieces
100g Freshly podded baby broad beans
500ml Chicken stock
50ml Double cream

Pesto
½ Garlic clove
80g Basil, leaves only
2 tbsp Pine nuts
2 tbsp Grated parmesan
120ml Olive oil

Method

For the pesto, crush the garlic with a little salt to form a soft paste. In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except the olive oil with 2 tbsp water until everything is finely chopped and a paste forms. Add the olive oil and pulse for 2 seconds (if you pulse for longer, the oil will emulsify too much). Transfer to a jar or bowl, cover the surface with a little extra oil and clingfilm, and keep in the fridge.
Gently fry the celery, salad onions and potatoes in a large saucepan, with a drizzle of olive oil, until soft but not coloured.
Blanch the peas, asparagus, green beans and broad beans for 2 minutes in salted boiling water. Drain, add to the saucepan with the softened vegetables and continue to fry for 5 minutes more, stirring. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the double cream, season and serve with a spoonful of the fresh pesto in each bowl.