Minestrone for the whole family

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 6 thick vine tomatoes
• 4 large carrots, crunchy (approx. 3 – 4)
• 2 small zucchini
• 2 small leeks
• 12 medium-sized potatoes, waxy (approx. 10 – 12)
• 1 ½ liters of hot vegetable broth (homemade or from a jar)
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and pepper, freshly ground
• Olive oil, good, for sautéing
• 2 small Cabanossi
• 1 handful of basil leaves for garnishing
• Grana Padano, grated
• 2 bunches of basil
• Olive oil, good
• Sea salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 50 g pine nuts
• 2 small garlic cloves (approx. 1 – 2, depending on taste)
• 100 g Grana Padano, freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

For the pesto, wash the basil and shake dry, then pluck the leaves from the stems. Peel the garlic and grate the Grana Padano. To make the paste, aka pesto, it is best to use a hand blender and the corresponding tall mixing bowl. Now go the basil leaves into the bowl together with the pine nuts, the garlic, salt, pepper and just a little olive oil. As you blend, you will quickly see what the consistency will be. It is only when the Grana Padano is added that the paste becomes creamy. Now the ratio of oil to cheese determines the final consistency of the pesto, which you can adjust to your own taste (I personally prefer it creamier). Tip: If you put the pesto in a clean jar with a screw lid and cover it with olive oil, it will keep for a good week in the fridge and is wonderful to eat with any type of hot pasta, for example. Wash, peel or trim all the vegetables. Then cut the carrots, potatoes and zucchini into not too thick slices and set aside. The potato slices must be placed in cold water, otherwise they will turn brown. Cut the leek into thin rings, wash thoroughly, and then set aside. Cut the Cabanossi into thin slices and set aside. Wash the basil leaves and cut them into fine strips. Place the tomatoes in a not-too-shallow bowl or pot and pour about 1 liter of boiling water over them. Let them stand for 10 minutes, then drain them in a sieve and rinse them thoroughly with cold water. Now make a cross-shaped cut in the tomatoes at the stem base with a sharp knife so that the skin can be easily peeled off with a knife. Remove the stem base and seeds from the peeled tomatoes, then divide them into eighths and set aside. Now prepare the vegetable stock in a separate pot or in a tall measuring jug and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot, then briefly sauté the vegetables one after the other, stirring constantly. Start with the potatoes, then add the carrot and zucchini slices. Season everything with sea salt and pepper. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring everything to a boil briefly, and then reduce the heat. Finally, add the tomatoes, leek, and bay leaf. Simmer the soup over medium heat until all the vegetables are tender. This goes relatively quickly since everything has been sliced. Depending on your stove, the soup will be ready after about 15 minutes. Five minutes before the end of cooking, add the Cabanossi sausages. To accommodate the vegetarian members of the family, I don’t cook the Cabanossi sausages at the same time, but instead serve them separately. Then everyone can add their own sausage slices to the soup. When filling the soup, garnish each portion of minestrone with pesto, grated cheese, possibly Cabanossi sausage slices, and the sliced ​​basil leaves. Everyone at the table can do this as they wish. And there you have it, a delicious summer soup! The pesto gives the soup a fresh flavor and goes perfectly with the vegetables and grated cheese. We’ve also spiced up the soup with white beans, small soup noodles, or leftover rice. All the kids love it, and it’s very filling. In any case, this minestrone with pesto is a wonderful summer soup, warming after a windy day at the beach and simply making you happy.