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Spring minestrone

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour

Serves
Serves 10

By Adam Byatt
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the poached chicken

  • 1 small free-range chicken
  • 1 leek, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ tsp black peppercorns
  • salt

For the pasta

  • 120g/4½oz orzo pasta

For the vegetables

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 green chilli, thinly sliced
  • 10 English asparagus spears, tips separated and stems cut into cross sections
  • 2 celery sticks, cut on the oblique
  • 100g/3½oz podded fresh peas
  • 100g/3½oz podded fresh broad beans
  • 200g/7oz fresh (or dried and soaked) borlotti beans
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pesto

  • 100g/3½oz wild garlic
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 10g/⅓oz hazelnuts
  • 10g/⅓oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
  • 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil, plus extra to serve

Method

  1. To make the poached chicken, place the chicken in a casserole or large saucepan and cover with water. Bring up to a simmer, then discard the water and refill with water to cover again. Add the leek, onion, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns and season with salt. Bring back to the boil and then turn down to a very gentle simmer for 45 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked through – the juices should run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the leg, between the drumstick and the thigh, is pierced with a skewer. Turn the heat off and leave the chicken to stand in the water.

  2. To make the pasta, bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the orzo. Cook for 7 minutes (or as the packet instructs) then drain and refresh under cold water.

  3. To make the vegetables, heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and green chili, season with salt and pepper and sweat for 2 minutes. Add the asparagus stems and celery and cook for a further 2 minutes. Use a sieve to strain the stock from the chicken. Pour the stock over the vegetables in the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the asparagus tips, peas, broad beans and borlotti beans and continue to simmer for a few minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Add the cooked orzo.

  4. To make the pesto, blend all the ingredients together in a blender, but leave the mixture with some texture.

  5. To serve, pick apart the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and ladle into warmed bowls. Spoon over the pesto and grate some Parmesan over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

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