Cold-Weather Soupe au Pistou

The pesto gains its brightness from spinach, lemon juice, and fresh parsley, and its familiar
pesto character from Parmesan cheese, nuts, olive oil, and dried basil. The result isn't quite identical to a classic pesto, but it's excellent on pasta or in soup. Soupe au pistou is the French answer to and my own version of Italian (and my mother's) minestrone. It is hearty and simple and warming; spoonfuls of pesto unite the soup, and this cold-weather sauce from dried basil means I can have something green all year round.

Makes 3 cups of pesto; 6 servings of soup

For the winter pesto (adapted from Mollie Katzen):

3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup dried basil
4 cups fresh spinach, firmly packed
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 to 3 garlic cloves
Handful fresh parsley

For the soupe au pistou:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup fresh fennel (or celery), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small waxy potato, chopped into 1-inch cubes
One 14-ounce can whole tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1/2 pound small pasta (like ditalini)
1 handful fresh spinach
Winter pesto, for serving

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and, when shimmering, add onion, carrots, and fennel; season with salt and pepper and sauté until the onion is translucent and the carrots are softening. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the potato.
2. Drain the can of tomatoes halfway and crush the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pot. Add the stock, water, and bay leaf, stir to combine, and turn the heat up to medium high. Let the soup come to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Add the cannellini beans and allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time and adding water to adjust the soup's consistency.
4. After 20 minutes, remove a cube of potato and taste it. If it's soft, add the pasta. (If it's not, continue simmering until it is.) When the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes, remove the soup from the heat and stir in the spinach. Remove the bay leaf.
5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, stir in about two tablespoons of pesto into each bowl and eat with crusty bread.
6. http://food52.com/recipes/38640-cold-weather-soupe-au-pistou