A few months ago I picked up a little Italian cookbook from a clearance table for a couple bucks. Somehow it ended up hidden away in my closet, not to be found until last week. Hooray!
Each recipe has an illustration and the instructions are written simply; both good ways for a cookbook to keep my attention. I love cookbooks, but when things get too wordy or I have no idea what something is supposed to look like I tend to lose interest quickly and use a recipe as inspiration for my own creation. So it's been a good exercise and challenge to flip through my little clearance book and follow the rules.
The first thing I made was a Genoese Vegetable Soup. I had a big bunch of fresh yellow and green beans and some green and gold zucchinis on hand from a friend's garden and their expiration dates were a good motivator to find a recipe that would used both. They happily accompanied a plethora of other fresh veggies which took some prep time but would end up being worth the while.
My only regret in terms of veggies is that I was unable to find fresh peas anywhere. Too late in the season, I suppose, but the softer canned peas added some body to the hearty soup.
After my veggie prep was complete I dumped everything into my big soup pot and added some extra virgin olive oil followed by some Swanson broth.
The recipe calls for vegetable stock, but I have been hard pressed to find a good veggie stock or broth that I enjoy. If you have any recommendations, please post. I used half chicken and half beef broth. It took away the vegetarian aspect of the soup, unfortunately, but it was still delicious.
The other workaround I used was to avoid making my own pesto. Did I mention this soup has pesto? Divine, no? Anyway, I really wasn't in the mood for more prep and cleaning up the food processor (I don't have a mortar and pestle... hint hint, Christmas is coming...) so I chose ready made
Buitoni Pesto with Basil. It's not bad for store bought and usually tastes pretty fresh; I was pleased. I'll definitely make my own next time, though...
The soup cooked for a long time which made it very thick and deadened a lot of the color. I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough liquid to cook the pasta at the end, but no worries. I chose
Barilla Piccolinoi Mini Farfalle which didn't soak up too much liquid and cooked in about 6 minutes.
After adding the pesto and allowing the soup to sit for a few minutes we scooped up hearty bowlfuls and topped with shredded Parmesan. Served alongside some warm, crusty Pugilese bread it made a great, hearty meal and was FULL of flavor. It didn't make the prettiest picture, but made up for it's lacking photogenic quality in deliciousness and frugality.
So here you go, please visit your nearest Farmer's Market and take advantage of the late season bounty before we're in full-fledged fall!
GENOESE VEGETABLE SOUP
There are many different recipes available for this soup, it looks like everyone goes by the veggies they like and are in season, but this is the one I used out of my clearance cookbook.
Ingredients for Soup
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 potatoes, diced
4 oz. green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths
4 oz. peas
7 oz. fresh young spinach leaves, shredded
2 zucchini, diced
8 oz. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 cups vegetable stalk (I substituted 4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups beef broth)
salt and pepper
5 oz. dried soup pasta (I used mini farfalle)
1 recipe of Basil Pesto (see below; I substituted with ready-made basil pesto)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
Ingredients for Pesto
4 Tbsp fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1 garlic clove
1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Put all veggies and garlic in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Pour in the olive oil and stock. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat and let simmer gently for about 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the pesto; put the basil, pine nuts and garlic into a mortar and pound to a paste with a pestle. Transfer to a bowl and gradually work in the cheese with a wooden spoon, followed by the olive oil to make a thick, creamy sauce. (You can also do this in a food processor by adding all ingredients except the olive oil and pulsing together to combine, then run on low speed while slowly adding the oil, but they don't tell you that...). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed
Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and add the pasta. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite. The soup should be very thick. Stir in half the pesto, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to rest for 4 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and pesto if necessary. Any leftover pesto may be stored in a screw-top jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (or if you're like me, you'll just keep the other half of your pesto in the container it came in ;) ).
Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Pass around the freshly grated Parmesan cheese separately (those are the words used in the recipe, I think they're weird, but don't skimp on the cheese!)
