Minestrone with Home-made Pesto

It's indescribable how fantastic it is to have fresh basil around again. It's one of the many benefits of summer. I so love summer. I need to move to a place where it's summer forever and ever...

Anyway, so this soup is very easy and also very flexible as far as the veggies you add go. I put down what I used this time, but things could be substituted, left-out, or added pretty successfully. For example, I happened to have some fresh green beans in the fridge, so I added those which is something I haven't done before. The real joy of the soup is the addition of home-made pesto at the end. You could use store-bought, but you'd really be cheating yourself. If you don't grow it, head out to that farmers market and get some! If you buy it fresh at the grocery store, you'll pay a small fortune to get as much as you need.

Ingredients for pesto:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed down
• about 2/3 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, roasted (I buy the pre-roasted kind)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper 
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 

In a food processor (or blender if you must - I so hate blenders) combine the basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until everything combines. You may not need the whole 2/3 cup. Now add the cheese and pulse a few more times to mix it. 

Smell that goodness. It's great in this soup of course, but has so many other uses.

 Ingredients for soup:

• 1 32 oz vegetable broth
• 2 14oz cans diced tomatoes flavored with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, any variety, diced
• 2 squash, zucchini, or a combo
• 4-5 cloves garlic, diced
• handful of fresh green beans, stems trimmed and cut in 3rds 
• 3/4 cup small shell noodles or elbow noodles 
• salt and pepper
• some fresh chopped Italian herbs if you got 'em 

Heat some olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and season with some salt and pepper. Let this cook for a few minutes and then add everything else and season with some more salt and pepper. Bring this to a boil and let boil for about 10 minutes or so, until the pasta is cooked and the veggies are tender. I usually turn the heat down and let it simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes. Taste the soup to check the flavor, keeping in mind that you are going to add the pesto which will add quite a bit more. Actually, the soup tastes even better the second day, so if you want, make it before-hand.

When you serve the soup, add a spoonful of pesto to each bowl and mix in.

Fabulous.