Easy
4 people
30 min
Chef Francesco Mazzei
This vibrant couloured soup will sure become a favourite! It might have various “icing” steps, but this is to ensure that the green veggies maintain their bright colours. Believe me, it is worth every step!
Ingredients
- For the soup:
- 200 g courgettes, diced
- 2 baby leeks
- 100 g potatoes, diced
- 200 g fine green beans
- 1 bunch green asparagus, diced
- 200 g peas, peeled
- 150 g broad beans, peeled
- 30 ml EVO oil
- Grana Padano rinds
- For the pesto:
- 200 g basil leaves
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 20 g grated pecorino cheese
- 20 g Grana Padano cheese
- ½ clove of garlic
- Salt
- For the garnish:
- 2 quail eggs
- Grana Padano cheese
- 100gr baby spinach
Preparation
Soup.
Slice the baby leeks and place them into a deep saucepan with the olive oil. Scrape the surface of the cheese rinds and add it to the pan. Fry for a minute the start adding the diced potatoes and fry until starting to stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and add ice cubes just enough to cover the vegetables. Bring to the boil and add the green beans and asparagus, add more ice cubes and bring again to the boil. At this point add the courgettes, peas and broad beans. Cook for few minutes and adjust with salt if needed.
Pesto.
In the meantime, blanch the basil leaves for 20 seconds in boiling water then cool them down in iced water. Drain well and transfer into a blender, add in the rest of the ingredients and blitz until all combined but not too creamy and refined. Adjust with salt if necessary.
Garnish.
Cook the quail eggs in boiling water for 2 minutes and 15 seconds and immediately cool them down in iced water. Then peel and halve them.
Reheat the soup and when boiling remove from the heat, add the baby spinach and the pesto.
Transfer into serving dishes, add a quail egg in each and complete with freshly grated Grana Padano.
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Chef’s tip
You can vary the green veggies according to your preference or availability, but make sure to follow the “icing steps”!