Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the pesto*
1 large handful of basil
1 small clove garlic
60g parmesan, roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil, around 3 tbsp
salt for seasoning

For the soup
1 tsp olive oil
1 white onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely diced
2 courgettes finely diced
¼ sweet heart cabbage, finely sliced
500ml vegetable or chicken stock, I use Kallo stock cubes
200g good quality ripe tomatoes
salt and pepper for seasoning
For the pesto, blanch the basil in plenty of boiling water for 3-5 seconds, this is to ensure the basil keeps its bright green colour. Remove from the water and immediately plunge it into iced water to stop it cooking. Drain, squeeze out any excess water and chop.
In a blender, purée the basil, garlic, parmesan and oil until smooth. Taste and season if necessary. If the pesto is a bit thick and not blending, add a little more oil. Reserve in the fridge.
For the soup, prepare all the vegetables (aka ‘superfoods’) prior to cooking, as this is what takes the most time. Season the tomatoes with a little salt and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Gently fry the onion, carrot and celery for 3-4 minutes until softened. Careful not to brown or colour.
Add the stock, courgette and cabbage, simmer on a high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Turn the heat off and stir in the tomatoes.
Serve immediately with a large dollop of the pesto.
*If you can't be arsed to make the pesto, I would stir in a spoon of shop bought pesto at the end.
To make the soup more substantial you could add some beans or some small pasta.
Comments