Wild rocket & cannellini bean soup with pesto

Rocket is usually thought of as a peppery leaf that adds spice to a salad, but it has much more to offer. When cooked, it turns earthy, and combined with cannellini beans, potatoes and pesto, makes this flavoursome soup.

Serves 4

 2tbsp olive oil  1 red onion, finely chopped  2 celery sticks, finely chopped  300g Charlotte potatoes, cut into 1cm pieces  1L chicken or vegetable stock  600g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed  100g wild rocket, chopped  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  Warmed focaccia, to serve FOR THE PESTO  1 small garlic clove  ¼tsp sea salt  80g basil leaves  75g pine nuts  75g Parmesan, finely grated  80ml good olive oil

1 Heat a medium, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and, when hot, add the onion and celery and cook on a low heat for 10min, until softened. Add the potato chunks and season well with salt. 2 Cook for about 5min, then pour in the chicken or vegetable stock. Simmer gently for about 15min, until a knife slices easily through the potatoes. 3 Add the cannellini beans to the soup, stir, and cook for about 10min to heat through. Add the chopped rocket, stir well and turn off the heat (keep the pan on the stove so the soup remains warm while you make the pesto). 4 To make the pesto, crush the garlic and salt together in a pestle and mortar to a smooth paste. Add the basil and bash until you have a paste, then put in the pine nuts and crush them into the paste. Add the Parmesan to give a very thick pesto and 1tbsp water to loosen. Then slowly add the olive oil to emulsify the sauce, mixing constantly (alternatively, use a blender). 5 Check the seasoning and leave to one side. Serve the soup in warmed bowls with a generous spoonful of pesto on top and some warm focaccia on the side.

‘A simple, nourishing soup that is beautifully balanced ’