legume

spring minestrone

servings
6

method

There's a whole world of minestrones out there – most of which follow very strict, authentic recipes. Personally, I feel that a minestrone should always reflect the seasons: more cabbagy, frumpy ones in the winter and lighter, more colorful ones in the spring and summer. A minestrone can also be a whole meal if you want it to be, with pasta, stale bread or rice to bulk it out. To complement the spring vegetables, I've put a bit of a Genoese twist on it, with a spoon of fresh pesto added at the last minute, so the flavors explode in your mouth. Give it a bash.

First, if you're going to make pesto do it now. Bring a pot of stock to the boil. Then you need to get all the vegetables prepared and put to one side. The fennel has to be halved, sliced and finely chopped, the asparagus needs to have the woody ends removed, the stalks finely sliced and the tips left whole, the cauliflowers need to be divided into small florets, the courgettes need to be quartered lengthways and finely chopped and finally the tomatoes need to be blanched. Cut them in half, remove the pips and finely slice. Now you're ready to rock and roll.

In a casserole-type pan (quite wide but not very deep) put 5 tablespoons of olive oil and heat the pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic, spring onions and fennel and gently fry without coloring at all for about 15 minutes. Then add the rest of your prepared vegetables, the pasta and your boiling stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, season, and serve in big bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto in the middle, a sprinkling of chopped basil and chives, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Try this: As you can see, the idea of this soup is to celebrate all the vegetables that are available at the time, so feel free to modify the soup and make it your own.

And this: A good way to break up your spaghetti is to wrap it in a tea towel and then run it over the edge of your work surface.

Did you know? The fact that everything is finely chopped means that the cooking time is very quick and the soup remains light and fresh.

• from Jamie's Kitchen

ingredients

• 6 heaped tablespoons fresh pesto
• 1.5 liters good chicken, ham or vegetable stock
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 100g fine asparagus
• 2 Romanesco cauliflowers or 1 large cauliflower
• 6 baby courgettes
• 6 plum tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
100g green beans, finely sliced
• 100g yellow beans, finely sliced
• 100g peas, podded
• 100g broad beans, podded
• 100g spaghetti, broken-up
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small handful of fresh green or purple basil
• 1 small handful of fresh chives

share this page

Pin It

keep up-to-date

daily recipe rss

new recipe rss

tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Patrik on Sun 11 Apr 2010 @ 20:34

Hi, this soup it wasnt really good....abit without taste....but....nice try

2. by Joy on Fri 22 May 2009 @ 20:04

I loved all the vegetables and the freshness of the soup but it was quite bland...I ended up adding lemon juice, some balsamic vinegar, cumin and some celery salt.

3. by dayavincent on Fri 08 May 2009 @ 07:46

Very nice recipies

4. by Clare on Thu 16 Apr 2009 @ 15:47

Didn't like this one so much, has to use lots of seasoning to stop it being a bit bland. Usually a big fan though!!!

5. by Juliet on Mon 13 Apr 2009 @ 21:28

It's incredible! What a soup!

6. by Dianna on Sun 12 Apr 2009 @ 22:04

I made this soup this afternoon...used broccoli instead of cauliflower and added red and yellow peppers. It was great!! Really can use whatever you have in the fridge. Spring has sprung!

7. by shannon on Fri 10 Apr 2009 @ 00:39

i am looking for a recipe for a squash soup with parmesan croutons. it was on Jamie at home awhile ago thanks:)

8. by Simon Debell on Wed 08 Apr 2009 @ 21:20

Any recipe by Jamie is a true winner

9. by rachie on Tue 07 Apr 2009 @ 02:01

jamie every meal u make is great love u to death

10. by sandy on Sat 04 Apr 2009 @ 16:10

I am looking for an asparagus recipe Jamie had on the Food network on Sat April the 4th. Mashed potato and eggs and cheese ????? was put in a baking dish that had been lined with puff pastry. Aspagus was laid on top. I missed some of the show and would love the recipe to serve with my Easter dinner.

11. by tild on Thu 02 Apr 2009 @ 19:43

this looks alright but aint got the ingrediants. eewww

12. by ly on Tue 31 Mar 2009 @ 12:15

These recipies are very nice :)!

leave comments

related recipes

altamura pea soup
When I was in Altamura, in Puglia, I worked with a family of bakers who all lived in the same big house....
Read more

chargrilled tuna with dressed beans and loadsa herbs
This is a really beautiful summer dish that takes hardly any time at all to prepare – and, of course,...
Read more

videos