This mostly ‘green’ soup is like Spring in a bowl. Dark leafy dino kale, sweet sugar snap peas and cannelini beans are all nestled in a tasty leek infused broth.  Topped with a lemony pistachio pesto, salty shaved parmesan and red pepper flakes, this is one flavor packed bowl.  Did I say Ready in less than 30 Minutes?  I love eating with the seasons when vegetables are at their peak in freshness, nutritional value and flavor. Usually when vegetables are so abundant, they are also the cheapest. For the greatest freshness look for foods that are locally grown and preferably organic.

Did you know that fruits and vegetables are still  ‘alive’ and continue to breathe after picking through a process called respiration, which leads to a loss of nutrients the longer it takes for them to be transported and sold.  In addition, fruits and vegetables have a higher nutritional value when they are picked ripe, as opposed to picking them before they are ripe and letting them ripen later (for shipping purposes), except for certain crops like tomatoes.  They might get to the right color and ripeness but won’t reach their highest nutritional levels, so buying local is the best bet if you can. Or sometimes, frozen is the best choice since they are picked ripe and frozen right away. (Livestrong)

I made this minestrone twice this week.  The first time I made it, my husband went back for fourths and my 21 year old son ate all the leftovers.  It was such a disappointment to find the empty container the next morning.  Darn, no free lunch…  So I decided to make it again a few days later for a casual dinner party I hosted for eight women, but this time I doubled the recipe.  I was afraid of overcooking the vegetables while waiting for everyone to arrive and giving them all a chance to have cocktails with the chickens (yes, that is a thing when you have chickens).  So I prepared the soup base, added the cannelini beans and turned the burner off.  Once the soup was only warm and not hot, I added the veggies and let it sit until just before we were ready to eat.  By the time it heated back up, the veggies were the perfect crisp tender.  Of course, the fun part is allowing your guests to ‘decorate’ their own bowls with the delicious pesto, shaved parmesan and red pepper flakes.  The bread can also be toasted ahead of time as it is fine at room temperature.

This soup gets much of it’s flavor from a good vegetable broth that is poured over sauteed onions, celery and leeks. Italians call this sauteed vegetable mixture soffrito, which is the foundation on which many Italian sauces, and other dishes are built.  Traditional ingredients were lard and finely chopped parsley and onion, but modern cooks substitute olive oil or butter. Garlic, celery, or carrot may be included.  Italian cooks often make a big batch of soffrito and save it to use in various recipes.  Soffrito can be made 3 days ahead. Let it cool; cover and chill, or freeze up to 1 month

TIPS: Leeks are a delicious addition to soups but can harbor dirt between it’s many layers which will make your soup stock gritty.  The easiest way to clean them is to cut off the stem and the dark green end, then slice in half vertically.  Run each half under running water fanning the layers like a deck of cards to rinse out any dirt.  Then chop into one quarter inch pieces.

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM SPRING MINESTRONE VERDE FROM BON APPETIT, MAY 2016