Vegetable Soup
I was talking with a friend of mine in New York this morning and she said it was cold and rainy there. It is also cool and rainy today in Southern California, which is odd for us at this time of the year. Cold rainy days get me in the mood to make soup. This is a very easy vegetable soup recipe, but it still has a lot of really good flavor. While the soup has a great flavor on its own (and sometimes I like it just that way) it can be elevated to a whole new set of flavors by adding a dollop of pesto to it right before serving. The flavors of the sun dried tomatoes and vegetables of the soup with the basil and parmesan of the pesto is a real treat.
If you are a person who likes to do it in advance, then can or freeze, this soup is an excellent choice. Not only does the soup freeze well, but so does the pesto. When I have a lot of basil coming in that I need to use, it is a great choice to use it to freeze a big batch of pesto reduced into small portions for easy retrieval and use later.
Soup
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup anellini, tubetti, or orzo pasta
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into small dice, plus handful of feathery tops, chopped
1 bay leaf
Leaves from 2 or 3 large fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Kernels cut from 2 ears of corn
2 small zucchini trimmed and cut into small dice
3 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded then cut into small dice
5 oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and cut into small dice
6 cups vegetable stock
Pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup walnuts
1 clove garlic
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt
Soup
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook until barely tender, 6-8 minutes. The pasta will continue to cook in the soup so do not overcook the pasta. Drain and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
In a large soup pot over medium heat add 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the leeks, fennel bulb and tops, bay leaf, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste and saute until all the vegetables are fragrant and just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the corn and the zucchini, season with a bit more salt, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the fresh and sun-dried tomatoes and the stock. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, at a lively simmer until all the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Skim the surface if necessary to remove any foam. Add the cooked pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cook briefly just to reheat the pasta.
Pesto
In a blender or food processor combine the nuts and garlic and chop coarsely. Add the basil and olive oil and process to a coarse paste. Add the cheese and process just to incorporate it. Do not over process as the pesto should be smooth, but still have some texture. Add salt to taste.
