Garden Fresh and Good For You
As a novice green thumb, I have become more and more interested in gardening as the years go by. I planted a couple of different kinds of tomatoes in pots this year, and lots of fresh herbs. And through trial and error, I am learning how to keep each plant going. Right now is just the time of year when summer veggies are starting to come into their peak, and I am getting excited to see the fruits of my labor.
Having grown up on a farm, my dad always kept a healthy vegetable garden, and has passed a little of his green thumb and gardening wisdom down to me. I remember spending a lot of time with him tooling around the garden, helping to plant seeds, pull weeds, and add to the compost pile. By the middle of the summer we would have everything from fresh corn to a bumper crop of sugar snap peas. Towards August, the zucchini were taking over the garden and we couldn’t use them up fast enough. Tomatoes started coming in next, and some years we had such an abundance of tomatoes that we would freeze tomato sauce supplies for the whole winter.
But, on the other hand, if you have limited time and space for vegetable gardening like I do today, the farmers market is a reliable choice for fresh veggies. If you enjoy shopping at the farmers market, then you know this time of year can be the most colorful and exciting. I was at the greenmarket last Saturday morning and saw so many varieties of fresh veggies- from deep yellow squash to the first bright red tomatoes from South Jersey, and lots of green veggies such as zucchini and green beans. All these veggies inspired me to think of ways to combine their flavors. Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup that offers a perfect chance to use up a surplus of fresh garden goodies, and keep your kitchen cool while cooking it in the crockpot.
You can do a bit of mixing and matching when making the recipe below, substituting one vegetable for another, or adding a can of Great Northern beans. If you would like a meatier version, you can add about a cup of fresh diced ham. I sometimes add the heel from a chunk of parmesan cheese to soup while it is cooking (remove before serving), which flavors the entire thing. You could also serve fresh grated parmesan cheese on the side. Minestrone is a recipe that freezes really well. I like to portion out soups in Ziploc bags so that I can stack them in the freezer, and then have single servings ready to go.
The perfect topping for minestrone is fresh basil pesto. I have had a lot of trial and error learning to keep herbs going in the windowsill, but have learned that herbs like basil need constant pruning to maintain their health. The more you cut, the more it grows, and an easy way to use up a surplus of basil is by making pesto. The recipe below is a classic, but you could also do a little tweaking with different varieties of herbs, or substitute walnuts for the pine nuts.
So next time you are looking for a little seasonal inspiration, and want to make a hearty one dish meal with lots of flavor and vitamins, try out this slow cooker minestrone topped with basil pesto. Add some toasted or grilled country bread, and you have a simple and satisfying meal, whether it comes from your garden or the greenmarket.
Made with Parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, fresh basil, kosher salt, black pepper
Serves/Makes: 4 cups
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cup good-quality olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Combine the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor with a metal blade. Pulse process for 15 seconds until the pine nuts are partially chopped.
Add the basil, salt, and pepper. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube and process until smooth.
Add the Parmesan cheese and process for 1 more minute.
If storing the pesto, transfer to an airtight container. Drizzle a light layer of olive oil on top and seal the lid. Refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.
Made with salt, black pepper, carrots, celery, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, garlic, bay leaf
Serves/Makes: 8
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1 cup diced yellow squash
- 1 cup sliced green beans
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cup uncooked rotini or macaroni pasta
***Garnish***
- basil pesto
- fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all the ingredients except the pasta, pesto, and Parmesan in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours or until the vegetables are tender.
Turn the crock pot to high heat and add the pasta. Mix well, cover the crock pot and cook on high heat for 20 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Remove the bay leaf.
Divide the minestrone between individual soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of pesto and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
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1 comments
When the price of pine nuts (pignoli) skyrocketed, my mother substituted walnuts that had been soaked in water overnight. The difference in taste.is imperceptible.
Comment posted by Nick
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