SPRING MINESTRONE
Recipe
After the hearty dishes of winter this soup welcomes in spring with its greenery, vibrant, fresh and lighter flavours. Serves 4.
Heat olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan or casserole over medium heat. Add the onion, spring onion and garlic and cook for 12-15 minutes until softened and translucent without browning, reducing heat if necessary.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the broad beans and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl then peel and remove the bean from outer skin, known as double podding. Next add the peas to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until just tender, drain and set aside.
Add the bay leaf, lemon peel, stock and fennel to the onion mixture and bring to a rolling simmer for 3 minutes. Add the reserved peas, chickpeas, asparagus and broccoli stems and return to the boil and cook for 3 minutes, then add spinach leaves and broad beans and stir to wilt. Season the soup with salt and grinding of pepper. Remove bay leaf and lemon peel. Transfer half of the soup to a bowl, then blend the remaining soup with a hand-held blender. Pour the bowl of soup back into the pot and stir to combine. Quickly bring back to a simmer, then ladle into four warmed bowls topped with a spoonful of pesto, if using, or garnish with chives or basil and a little drizzle of olive oil.
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 spring (green) onions, white part finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup (95g) peeled broad beans (about 480g pods)
½ cup (80g) shelled fresh peas (about 250g unshelled peas)
1 bay leaf
Peeled zest of half a lemon
1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
½ can (150g) chickpeas, drained
6 asparagus spears, tough woody ends removed, stalks finely sliced and tips kept whole
1 bunch broccolini, stems finely sliced, tops cut into bite size florets
50g baby spinach leaves
4 tablespoons fresh pesto (optional)
Snipped chives optional garnish
