Minestra Verdissima

From the blog For Love of the Table

2 T. unsalted butter (or olive oil)

5 or 6 spring onions, halved and thinly sliced (white and pale green only) to make 1 cup—substitute thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green only), or finely diced onion, if spring onions aren't available

1/4 to 1/3 c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/2 c. frozen shell beans (pink-eyed peas, crowder peas, lady peas, etc.)

3 1/2 to 4 c. water or light chicken stock

1 T. unsalted butter (or olive oil)

4 oz. trimmed asparagus, cut into 1/4-inch lengths on a short diagonal (a generous cup)

1/2 cup English peas (fresh or frozen)

Arugula (or Spinach) pesto, room temperature

Heat 2 T. butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the spring onions and a pinch of salt and sweat until very tender and translucent—about 5 minutes (leeks or onions will take 10 to 15 minutes…don’t shortcut this step). Add the rice, shell beans and 3 1/2 cups water (or stock) and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rice and beans are tender (about 15 minutes).

About 10 minutes before the rice and beans are done, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the asparagus and peas along with a pinch of salt, stirring to coat the vegetables in the butter. Let the vegetables gently sizzle until they are tender, stirring occasionally.

When the rice/beans are cooked, scrape the asparagus and peas into the soup. Swirl a ladleful of the broth around the sauté pan to get all the flavorful bits and add it back to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil and let simmer for a minute or two to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and correct the seasoning. If the soup seems to “crowded” with vegetables, add more water or stock.

Ladle the soup into bowls and place a dollop of pesto in the center of each bowl, allowing each person to swirl the pesto into their soup at the table. Pass more pesto on the side if you like.

Serves 3 or 4.

Notes & Variations:

Recipe is easly doubled, tripled, etc.
When making this soup, carefully season at each step. Because it is subtle and mild, it will taste bland if not seasoned well.
Add a couple of ounces of minced pancetta. To add, place the pancetta in the sauté pan and cook until rendered and beginning to crisp—adding some olive oil or butter only if the pancetta is very lean. When the pancetta is rendered, add the asparagus and peas and proceed with the recipe.
As noted in the post this soup can be made with many combinations of starches and green vegetables…I like the soup best when the total quantity of cooked starches (rice, potatoes, beans, pasta) is roughly the same as the quantity of green vegetables…with maybe a little more green vegetable than starch…..
You may use leftover/previously cooked rice or beans (and of course, pasta…choose something small, like soup shells or orzo…). To do this, add the green vegetables to the cooked onion, cooking until just tender before adding water or broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and then add the cooked grain, beans or pasta (adding any bean cooking liquid you might have along with the beans). Bring back to a simmer and serve.

As published on forloveofthetable.com