Ligurian Vegetable Soup With Fresh Basil Recipes

ITALIAN BEEF VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook and crumble beef with onion over medium-high heat, until browned, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients., Cook, covered, on low 5-6 hours or until carrots are tender. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally.

ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Place ground beef in a large soup pot. Cook over medium heat until evenly browned. Drain excess fat. Stir in onion, celery, carrots, garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, water and bouillon. Season with parsley, oregano and basil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Stir in cabbage, corn, green beans and pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente. Add more water if needed.

SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH FRESH BASIL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about a minute, and stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 quarts water, the turnip, zucchini, and the bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the canned beans. Taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
• While the soup is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Boil 5 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, allow to cool, and drain. Retain the cooking water in case you want to thin out the soup later.
• Add the pasta to the soup and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Stir the cooked green beans into the soup. Grind in some pepper and taste and adjust seasonings. It should be savory and rich-tasting.
• Stir in the basil or pistou, or place a spoonful of pistou in each bowl and stir in. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.

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.

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.

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.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH BASIL AND GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Make soup:
• Cut fennel stalks flush with bulb, discarding them, and trim off any tough outer layers from bulb. Chop fennel into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Cook pancetta in oil in a 7- to 9-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in fennel, onion, turnip, carrots, and cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is wilted, 5 to 7 minutes. Add cheese rind, squash, potato, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, salt, and water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add lima beans, green beans, and cannellini and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard cheese rind, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper.
• Make pistou while soup is simmering:
• Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt (or pound with a mortar and pestle). Blend with basil in a food processor until basil is finely chopped. Add oil and cheese and purée.
• Top servings with a spoonful of pistou, then stir.

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.

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.

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).