Paul Ainsworth’s Minestrone del Contadino

Ingredients

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Ingredients For the soup

  • ml extra virgin olive oil
  • g smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped
  •   2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  •   2 red onions, roughly chopped
  •   2 carrots, roughly chopped
  •   2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  •   2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  •   1 large leek, roughly chopped
  •   2 large waxy potatoes, roughly chopped
  •   6 vine tomatoes, roughly chopped (reserve the vines)
  •   Small bunch fresh rosemary and thyme, tied with string
  • g small orecchiette pasta
  • ml good-quality beef stock
  • g tin cannellini beans,drained and rinsed
  •   16 small florets purple sprouting broccoli
  • g baby leaf spinach
  •   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the wild garlic pesto

  • g fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • g wild garlic, roughly chopped
  • g pine nuts
  •   3 tbsp olive oil
  • g Parmesan, finely grated
  •   1/2 lemon, zest only, finely grated
  •   1 tsp lemon juice, to taste

To serve

  •   Small handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
  •   Small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
  •   Small handful fresh chives, snipped
  • g Parmesan, finely grated Olive oil, for drizzling
  •   1 loaf crusty bread, to serve

Method

  • 1

    Step 1

    For the soup, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a high heat.
  • 2

    Step 2

    Add the bacon, then season and fry for 3–4 minutes, until caramelizing but not burning.
  • 3

    Step 3

    De-glaze the pan with the sherry vinegar. Add the red onions, carrots, garlic, celery and leek and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until softened. 

  • 4

    Step 4

    Stir in the potatoes and tomatoes (with their vines) then add the rosemary and thyme bundle. Squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Bring the pan to a simmer
  • 5

    Step 5

    Heat the beef stock in a saucepan over a high heat. Add the pasta to the vegetables. Once the stock is simmering, pour this in too.
  • 6

    Step 6

    Pour the soup into a pressure cooker (CAUTION: Please follow the manufacturer's guidelines for safe use of your pressure cooker). Bring up to pressure and cook for 5 minutes at pressure.
  • 7

    Step 7

    Turn off the heat and slowly release the pressure. Remove the rosemary and thyme bundle and tomato vines and discard.
  • 8

    Step 8

    Stir in the cannellini beans, broccoli and spinach and allow to soften in the residual heat for 5 minutes.
  • 9

    Step 9

    Meanwhile, to make the pesto, grind the basil and wild garlic in a mortar with a pestle or food processor to release the natural oils. Then, add the pine nuts and lemon zest and grind.
  • 10

    Step 10

    Once combined, add the olive oil to make a paste and grind in the Parmesan.
  • 11

    Step 11

    Add a squeeze of lemon and season to taste.
  • 12

    Step 12

    To serve, pour into soup bowls and sprinkle over the fresh herbs, parmesan, wild garlic pesto and olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

Ingredients

  • 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 300 g smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 red onions, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 large leek, roughly chopped
  • 2 large waxy potatoes, roughly chopped
  • 6 vine tomatoes, roughly chopped (reserve the vines)
  • Small bunch fresh rosemary and thyme, tied with string
  • 130 g small orecchiette pasta
  • 2000 ml good-quality beef stock
  • 400 g tin cannellini beans,drained and rinsed
  • 16 small florets purple sprouting broccoli
  • 100 g baby leaf spinach
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 15 g fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • 15 g wild garlic, roughly chopped
  • 50 g pine nuts
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 15 g Parmesan, finely grated
  • 1/2 lemon, zest only, finely grated
  • 1 tsp lemon juice, to taste
  • Small handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • Small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • Small handful fresh chives, snipped
  • 100 g Parmesan, finely grated Olive oil, for drizzling
  • 1 loaf crusty bread, to serve