Saturday 22 February 2014

Green Minestrone with Watercress Pesto

This soup is a winner. It's from Lindsey Bareham's One Pot Wonder (yes, I know... I'm obsessed). It is packed full of green goodies which I am insisting on in this house at the moment as we have been plagued, yes plagued with coughs and colds! Plus is yummy.


- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 400g podded broad beans (I used frozen)
- 2 shallots
- 25g butter
- 1 fennel bulb
- 125g spring onions
- 100g asparagus tips
- 150g courgettes
- 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
- 150g podded peas or frozen petit pois
- 400g tin of flageolet beans
- a handful of spinach
- a handful of flat parsley
- grated parmesan to serve

for the pesto:
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 90g watercress
- 3 cloves garlic
- 9 tablespoons of the best olive oil
- 3 tablespoons parmesan

Bring a litre of salted water to the boil in a spacious saucepan and add the broad beans. The minute the rise to the surface scoop them into a colander and reserve the cooking water in a jug. Peel and finely chop the shallots and soften them in the pan with the butter. Quarter the fennel lengthways cut out the solid core and slice very thinly along the quarters. Trim and slice the spring onions chunkily. Stir the fennel into the shallots and cook gently while you cut up the asparagus. Trim and quarter the courgettes lengthways and dice them. Add the spring onions to the fennel and shallots and soften for a minute. Add the reserved water and crumble in the stock cube. Add the peas, courgettes, and asparagus. Bring to the boil and add the drained flageolets, broad beans and spinach. Adjust the seasoning to taste and stir in the parsley.

To make the pesto add all the ingredients to the blender and whizz.

Serve the soup with a dollop of the pesto and grated parmesan.

2 comments:

  1. Just what the doctor ordered. Watercress isn't really a thing in Melbourne, I miss its peppery goodness. Get well soon I'm sure the soup will do its job - daddownunder

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    1. Oh no Matt.... the aussie's dont know what they missing!!

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