Ingredients
- FOR THE BASIL SAUCE
- 2 cups basil leaves (packed)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 5 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- FOR THE SOUP
- 215 grams cooked cannellini beans (1 cup, canned, drained)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 pound tomatoes (ripe, peeled, seeded, and chopped or one 16-ounce can Italian-style plum tomatoes)
- 10 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, preferably homemade, 2 1/2 quarts)
- 2 carrots (peeled and sliced thin on the bias)
- 2 leeks (medium size leeks, trimmed, washed, cut into 2-inch julienne, and rewashed)
- 1/4 pound string beans, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
- 2 zucchini (small zucchini, cut into small cubes)
- 1/2 cup dry vermicelli pasta (broken into small pieces)
- 1 cup celery leaves (chopped, tender celery leaves from the inner ribs)
- 1/8 teaspoon saffron (threads)
How to Make
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To make the basil sauce
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Step 1: In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the basil, Parmesan cheese, walnuts, tomato paste, and garlic until puréed. Add the 5 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
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To make the soup
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Step 2: Carefully rinse the canned beans twice in cold water, and drain. Set aside.
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Step 3: In a large nonreactive pan (I use my Le Creuset dutch oven), heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, or until they release their juice.
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Step 4: Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the carrots and leeks and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Step 5: Add the string beans and the cannellini beans and simmer for 3 minutes.
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Step 6: Add the zucchini, vermicelli, celery leaves, and saffron and simmer for 5 minutes until the pasta is tender.
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Step 7: Test for seasoning and adjust.
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Step 8: Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls. Add a small dollop of the basil sauce to each bowl. Serve with the remaining basil sauce on the side.
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Instead of a dollop of basil sauce in the individual bowls, you can add 2 Tablespoons of the sauce to the soup pot in step #9.
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If you float a 1/4 inch layer of olive oil over the basil sauce and keep it covered and refrigerated, it will keep for up to 2 weeks.
We hope you enjoy this recipe!
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