Читать книгу Home Cooking - Rachel Allen - Страница 80

15g (½oz) flat-leaf parsley

1 clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted (see tip on page 50)

1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Add the oil to a large saucepan on a high heat and sauté the bacon pieces quickly for about 1 minute or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

2 Reduce the heat a little and add the butter to the oil in the pan. When it has melted, add the onion, leek and potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook gently for 8–10 minutes without browning. Pour the stock over and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked through.

3 Meanwhile, make the parsley pesto. Discard the stalks from the parsley and place in a bowl with the garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil. Using a hand-held blender, purée to a fairly smooth paste, adding a little more oil if necessary so that it is a thick but drizzling consistency. Alternatively, crush the parsley, garlic and pine nuts using a pestle and mortar and stir in the Parmesan and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

4 Purée the soup until smooth in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Return to the pan and stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon pieces. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, and heat for a minute more before serving.

5 Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Drizzle over the parsley pesto and scatter the remaining bacon pieces on top.