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Minestrone Genovese Al Pesto (D, TNT)
Source: Self
Serves: 8 or more

Soup:
1/2 cup white dry beans, soaked in water overnight
1/3 cup olive oil, good quality
1 big onion, cut small
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
2 celery leaves, cut thin slices
5 cups pareve chicken-flavored stock, or water with pareve chicken soup powder
1/2 pound fresh spinach, clean washed
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 leek (pouri), sliced
1 bunch parsley
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons pesto
6 tablespoons olive oil, best quality + pine nuts for garnishing

Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil
6 garlic cloves
3/4 cup pine nuts (I add 1/2 cup walnuts too)
15 oz. grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make Soup:
In a big saucepan warm up the olive oil. On low fire, sauté the onion, carrot, and celery leaves for 10 minutes. Add the soup, and the rest of the vegetables, beans, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Cover and continue to cook on low fire until the beans are soft, (about an hour).

*If you have a hand blender that you can put into the saucepan and blend to fine puree all the ingredients, is fantastic. If not, drain all ingredients from the soup, (keep the water) and mash in your food processor. Bring back the mashed vegetables back into the soup; mix real well, and reheat.

Add the Pesto, mix real well again. Serve, and add to each serving plate 1 tablespoon olive oil and some pine nuts. This soup you eat lukewarm, and not hot.

Make Pesto:
In food processor with the steel knife, ground the basil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese until well ground. Pour the oil in slowly until it become well blended. Be careful not to make the sauce too thin. Add the salt and pepper; mix.

Posted by Rina Perry

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A