Potato and Green Bean Soup With Pasta, Clams, Provolone and Basil Pesto.

By chef Paolo Barrale

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PORTIONS:

• 120g of buononaturale Pestoghiotto ligure
• 320g of tubettoni
• 300g of potatoes
• 200g of green beans
• 100g of smoked provola
• 500g of clams
• 50g of white wine
• 1 clove of garlic
• Extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground pepper

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OUR MAIN INGREDIENT:

• buononaturale Pestoghiotto ligure

This typical Ligurian dressing is a natural cure-all made with basil, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil. Its beneficial properties purify the liver, stomach, and intestine, strengthen the heart, improve circulation, and reduce cholesterol levels. Among the ingredients of traditional Italian pestos you will find pine nuts and extra-virgin olive, excellent sources of good fats and minerals supporting skin and joints.

The original recipe dates back to the second half of the 19th century, an add-on to the older 13^th-century garlic-based mortar sauce, the aggiadda. However, a legend sets the origin of this Italian pesto recipe in the convent of San Basilio on the heights of Prà, near Genoa, by a friar who combined grass with other ingredients donated to him by a believer.

Our pesto was then transported around the world by the crews of Genoese mercantile ships to become a world-famous sauce.

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OUR PROCEDURE:

1. Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into cubes;
2. Blanch in salted water together with the green beans, also cleaned and cut;
3. In a pan, combine a crushed clove of garlic, a pinch of chilli, clams, and white wine;
4. Add a ladle of hot water to the mix in the pan and cover, until the clams open;
5. Drain, shell the clams, and filter their liquid;
6. Pour the pasta into a pan with 2 ladles of boiling water and start cooking. Do not add salt;
7. Add boiling water a little at a time, alternating it with that of the clams. Halfway through, add the vegetables. When the pasta is cooked, shell the clams and, if needed, add salt;
8. Whisk with smoked provola, extra-virgin olive oil, and the buononaturale Pestoghiotto;
9. Serve in a plate with basil leaves and a light grind of black pepper.

Enjoy your meal!

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