Not Quite Minestrone.
When you treat and cook vegetables properly, the flavour that can come from them is second to none. Proper knife skills and cooking technique will transform a vegetable heavy dish into something truly magical. This is light, yet packed full with layers of different flavours. Can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the pancetta and using mushrooms instead to get the umami running through. I call this not quite minestrone as it doesn't contain pasta (but does involve a thick slice of sourdough). Enjoy!
To serve 2 you will need:
6 small tomatoes
1 celery stick
1 carrot
1/2 courgette
1/2 leek
Fistful of any type of greens (I used purple kale)
3 cloves Garlic
1 small shallot
50g Pancetta or 3 slices of streaky bacon
Tin of beans preferably borlotti/cannellini etc
Tomato paste
Vegetable boullion
Fresh basil
Red pesto
Balsamic vinegar
Parmesan and its rind
Sourdough and extra virgin olive oil to serve
Method
Finely dice your shallot, carrots, celery and garlic. Sweat down with a glug of olive oil and good pinch of sea salt on a medium to low heat.
Add cubed courgettes and sliced leeks, continue to sweat down making sure it doesn't burn
Add diced pancetta and cook until you start to see lovely caramelisation in the bottom of your pan. This should be golden not dark and adds amazing flavour.
Once everything has cooked down, pour in enough water to cover all the the veg and more by around 2cm.
To the pot add a tablespoon of vegetable bouillon, a good squeeze of tomato paste and a grind of black pepper.
Bring to the boil and add the whole fresh small tomatoes. Add a whole parmesan rind and place a lid on and let it simmer on a low heat.
Simmer away until the tomatoes are soft and give with a squeeze on the side of the pan. Squish all the tomatoes to release their contents.
Add a table spoon of red pesto, a splash of balsamic vinegar for acidity and 4 stems of basil (not the leaves yet). Taste and adjust accordingly.
Rinse the beans under cold water and add to the soup, along with finely shredded kale.
Cook until the kale is soft and the beans creamy. Throw in a good bunch of torn basil leaves. Taste and add any more black pepper, pesto, vinegar etc if needed.
To serve, spoon into a bowl, top with a good grating of parmesan cheese, fresh basil and a drizzle of EVOO, along side a slab of toasted sourdough.
