Recipe: Minestrone Soup Con Pesto Alla Genovese

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-02-03
From: Nancy,.SanFran

Classic Minestrone Soup Con Pesto Alla Genovese
Recipe By : Ciao Italia

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions -- diced
2 carrots -- chopped
2 leeks -- whites only chopped
2 stalks celery -- chopped
2 potatoes -- diced
1 cup dry beans -- soaked and cooked
but still hard
1 large eggplant -- skinned and diced
2 cups hot chicken broth
4 cups boiling water
salt and pepper
2 tomatoes -- diced
1 1/2 cups cabbage -- diced
1 1/2 cups spinach -- diced
1 1/2 cups zucchini -- diced
3/4 cup pasta -- raw
3 tablespoons pesto -- heaping

-----pesto-----
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
parmesan or Romano cheese
3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil

In olive oil saut ‚till soft onions, leeks, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Add dry beans, eggplant and cook down. Add chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, tomatoes and cook for about 1 hour covered. Add cabbage, spinach, zucchini. Add pasta. If too thick add more chicken broth. When done add pesto sauce.

Pesto Sauce: Place all Pesto ingredients in food processor or blender and process.

Courtesy of Ciao Italia cookbook.