Ligurian Vegetable Soup With Fresh Basil Recipes

PROVENçAL VEGETABLE SOUP WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Prepare the beans: Put the beans and 5 cups water in a saucepan over high heat. Add onion stuck with clove, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, salt and olive oil. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Leave beans to cool in their own broth. (May be cooked several hours or up to 1 day in advance.)
• Make the soup: Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, season generously with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring until softened and barely browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add potato and 2 cups water to soup pot. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Add cooked shell beans and bean broth and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, working in batches in a separate pot, blanch Romano beans, wax beans and zucchini in salted water for 1 minute. Spread out to cool on a baking sheet.
• Make the pistou: Put basil, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and pulse to a rough paste. (Alternatively, pound basil and garlic in a stone mortar and stir in oil and cheese.) Stir in about 1/2 cup grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. (Makes about 3/4 cup.)
• To serve, add blanched vegetables to soup pot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle into bowls and add about 2 tablespoons pistou to the center of each bowl. Pass extra grated cheese at the table.

VEGETABLE SOUP (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Add onion chunks, garlic cloves, basil, parsley, and 1/4 cup olive oil in the food processor bowl; chop to a chunky-textured pesto.
• Add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil into large soup pot, set over med-high heat; scrape in the pesto; cook, stirring often, as it sizzles and dries, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lift the rehydrated porcini from the soaking liquid (strain/reserve the liquid) and chop into fine bits.
• When the pesto just begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, drop the porcini, the chopped celery, carrots, tomato, and diced potatoes into the pot, and stir well.
• Cook over high heat, stirring until the potatoes become crusty and start to stick to the bottom.
• Pour in the cold water and the porcini soaking liquid; stir in the salt and heat the water to a vigorous bubble.
• Drop in the cheese rind, partially cover the pot, and adjust to maintain a steady bubbling.
• Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour--until the vegetables begin to break down; add the chicory, spinach, and peas.
• Return to a bubbling boil, and cook 30 minutes longer, until the broth is concentrated and flavorful and the total volume has reduced by about a quarter.
• Ladle the simmering soup into warm bowls; sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of freshly grated cheese over each portion, and finish with a swirl of excellent olive oil; pass more grated cheese at the table.

FRESH VEGETABLE BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• Sometimes I add a hot pepper sauce for some bite.
• In a 5-qt pan over med heat, melt butter.
• Add onion, celery and carrot.
• Cook, stir occasionally, until veggies are soft but not brown (10 min).
• Add potato, tomatoes, stock, basil to pan.
• Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add cauliflower and zucchini and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add peas and simmer for about 5 minutes or until all veggies are tender.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve with cheese.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH SWEET BASIL

Steps:

• Cut the leeks, potato, onion, celery, zucchini, green beans, and carrots into 1/4-inch dice.
• In a 6-quart stockpot, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the water. Add the vegetables and saute over medium-low heat until all the water evaporates. Do not brown the vegetables.
• Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, put the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pulse until pureed.
• Stir the puree into the cooked soup. Do not let the soup return to a boil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve the soup hot or cold from a tureen or in individual bowls.
• Cook's Note: My mother uses only water, because her vegetables are peak-of-season, just-picked, and therefore full of flavor; but you can use stock if you like. Pistou, the puree of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil in this recipe, is a traditional French condiment that adds a burst of flavor just before serving.

CREAM OF BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a saucepan, simmer broth and basil, uncovered, for 15 minutes. In another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; gradually stir in broth and sour cream (do not boil).

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH BASIL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Make soup:
• Bring water to a boil in a 5-quart pot and simmer leeks, onion, carrots, potatoes, squash, white beans (if using fresh), and bouquet garni 30 minutes, or until beans and squash are tender but remain intact. Add green beans, zucchini, and macaroni (and cooked white beans if using) and simmer 15 minutes, or until macaroni is tender but not falling apart.
• Make pistou while soup is cooking:
• Pound garlic, basil, salt, and pepper to taste with a large mortar and pestle, alternating between pounding and turning with a grinding motion, until mixture forms a paste. Work in enough Parmesan to make a very stiff paste, then add about one third of tomato, pounding and grinding into the paste. Gradually work in remaining cheese and tomato with a little olive oil until mixture is a barely fluid paste. Gradually work in 1 cup oil, or enough for pistou to become a sauce. (Pistou will not be an emulsion, so it should be thoroughly mixed each time it is dished out.)
• Serve soup with mortar of pistou on the side, to be added to taste by each person.

VEGGIE SOUP WITH BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot over high heat, combine the potatoes, onion, carrot, beans, tamari OR soy sauce, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. (Note: Add water as necessary to cover vegetables.)
• When the soup is done, add the beans and corn and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. To make sauce, in a blender or food processor, combine the basil, pureed tomatoes, garlic, oil, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth, stir this sauce into the soup and serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND GNOCCHI SOUP WITH FRESH BASIL

Steps:

• Add 1/2 inch water to a 10-inch frying pan. Place sausage links in the pan, cover, and heat over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the links, and cook for another 10 minutes, adding more water as needed to prevent scorching. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Transfer sausages to a cutting board and let cool.
• While the sausages are cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float to the top, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain.
• At the same time, heat olive oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, and red pepper flakes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in chicken stock, basil, and bay leaf and bring to a low boil. Add spinach, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Slice sausage links and add to the pan. Simmer soup for 5 minutes.
• Place gnocchi in serving bowls and ladle soup mixture over top. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

LIGURIAN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH FRESH BASIL

Steps:

• Soak cannellini beans in cold water overnight, rinse and drain. Cover beans with water in heavy bottomed pan and add 2 or 3 cloves peeled garlic. Simmer gently until al dente, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and strain, removing garlic. Meanwhile, chop leeks and celery very fine. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in heavy pot over medium heat, add leeks and celery and saute until soft. Add vegetable stock and water, then potatoes, peeled and diced. Bring to a low boil then reduce heat and simmer gently until potatoes are cooked through. Turn off heat and cool mixture. While the soup mixture cools, slice carrots, if using, and prepare green beans but leave them whole. When the soup mixture is cool enough to handle, puree in batches until smooth, adding fresh basil leaves to the food processor or blender at the end of each batch. The basil leaves should be integrated into the soup and chopped but with visible shreds remaining. Return pureed soup to a clean pot and add green beans, cannellini beans, carrots, and parsley, if using. Simmer gently to cook beans and carrots throughout. Serve warm with grana padano or parmesan cheese grated on top.