Herb And Rice Soup With Pesto

Servings: 4

Author:

Soups [/dishes/soups/] Vegetable soups [/dishes/soups/vegetable-soups/]

🧂 Ingredients

7 oz mixed herbs and wild or cultivated
salad leaves

e.g. fresh borage, basil, marjoram, a little fresh sage, Swiss chard, curly endive
7 oz rice
5 tbsp pesto

basil sauce
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
grated Parmesan cheese
salt

1 Rinse the borage and the other herbs and the leaf vegetables well, take the
leaves off their stalks and cut all but the smallest into thin strips. Put them
in a saucepan with 2 pints (1.2 litres) water and 1 tsp salt; cover and simmer
for 30 minutes.
2 Make the pesto (if fresh basil is unavailable, buy the pesto ready-made) and mix
it with 3 tbsp of the herb broth before adding the rice.
3 Turn up the heat and allow the herb soup to come to the boil; sprinkle in the
rice, stir and boil over a moderate heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
4 When the rice is just tender, stir in half the pesto mixture and 1 tbsp of the
oil and boil for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
5 Draw aside from the heat, stir in the rest of the pesto and oil, add salt to
taste and serve with Parmesan cheese.