Minestrone alla Genovese
This is not a thick stew of pantry scraps. In Liguria, it is a soup of light texture that allows the individual sweetness of fresh zucchini and green beans to shine against the earthy pulse of borlotti beans.
Pesto is not a garnish here; it is the seasoning.
Do not boil the pesto. It must be folded into the finished, off-heat soup to maintain its vibrant green color and sharp, raw garlic bite.
- heavy-bottomed soup pot
- mortar and pestle
- wooden spoon
- chef's knife
What goes in.
- 1 cupdried borlotti beans, soaked overnight
- 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil
- 1large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1carrot, diced
- 1stalk celery, diced
- 2medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 lbgreen beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 1medium zucchini, diced
- 2 quartswater
- 3 ozfresh basil leaves
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1/4 cuppine nuts
- 1/2 cupParmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Emulsifying the Green
After the soup is cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Thin the pesto with a ladle of the hot broth before stirring it into the pot to prevent the cheese and oil from separating.
The method.
Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and simmer them in fresh water until tender, usually 60 to 90 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid.
Build the soffritto
In your soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the onion turns pale gold.
Layer the vegetables
Add the potatoes to the pot and coat in the oil. Pour in two quarts of water (or half water, half bean cooking liquid). Bring to a simmer.
Finish the simmer
Add the green beans and zucchini once the potatoes are nearly soft. Cook until all vegetables are tender but retain their shape.
Make the pesto
Crush garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar. Add basil, then pine nuts. Work into a paste. Stir in the cheese and enough olive oil to create a loose sauce.
Combine
Remove the pot from the heat. Fold in the prepared pesto and serve warm, not boiling.
Other turns to take.
Pasta addition
Add two handfuls of broken spaghetti or ditalini to the pot in the final 10 minutes of cooking the vegetables.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a mortar and pestle for the pesto to maintain the texture of the basil; a food processor often bruises the leaves and turns them dark.
If borlotti beans are unavailable, fresh cranberry beans are the closest substitute.
The soup should have a clear, light broth—do not overcook the vegetables to the point of disintegration.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use store-bought pesto?
You can, but the heat from the soup will cause jarred pesto to lose its fragrance immediately. Fresh is mandatory for this dish.
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