Asparagus + Pesto Minestrone with a Poached Egg

Here's the truth: I've been staring at my screen for approximately 20 minutes with a hundred thoughts running through my head. It seems as if I've forgotten how to do this. How peculiar, considering I did it for years and it's been not even 5 months since I did it last. If you're coming from here, then you should know first and foremost that this blog has very little to do with that blog. That blog broke. It broke a very long time ago, but I was too proud?, embarrassed?, confused? to admit it to everyone, but mostly myself. It felt so incredibly good when I finally did. It was not unlike parting ways with a boyfriend or girlfriend that you should have parted ways with long, long ago. It's not easy coming to terms with the fact that you're beginning to head in different directions. But in the end, once you've ripped the bandaid off, it's nice to look back fondly on the good times and look ahead, unattached, on what could possibly be better times.

So, yes, I was over my boyfriend. Turns out though, that there's a lot I've missed. I've missed writing. I've missed the community and my friends. I've missed the discipline and forcing my brain to work (when you're the parent of a toddler, your brain literally comes to a complete halt). Truth be told, I have toyed with the idea of starting a food blog for a few years… but who needs another fucking food blog, amiright? So I bounced a few food blog-type ideas back and forth in my head for a while, and always came back to Soup Club. Of all the things I missed, for whatever reason, I REALLY missed Soup Club. And that's the story of how I ended up here. It might take some time to get my sea legs, so just bear with me. 

Let's do this! I'll be posting more than just soup here, but considering the name of the blog, not going with soup for my first post seemed plain stupid. I'm quite fond of minestrone because it seems that there is not one, single way to make it. I wouldn't be surprised if "minestrone" was Italian for "throw a whole bunch of shit in a pot". The sky truly is the limit here, so I'll always be happy making a new variation of this classic. I had some asparagus that needed to be used sooner than later, and seeing as those green spears aren't exactly cheap, I figured I'd make them stretch by adding them to a giant pot of soup. The result was a light and earthy minestrone that was perfect for a semi-warm Spring day.

Asparagus + Pesto Minestrone with a Poached Egg

1 large shallot, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

1/2 c. of white wine

3 c. of chicken stock
1 c. of cannellini beans, cooked and drained
1 c. of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
5-6 asparagus spears, chopped into rounds
pesto*
4 eggs, poached (do this at the very last minute)
olive oil
salt + pepper

Saute your chopped shallot and carrots in some olive oil on medium heat until the shallots start to become translucent. Add your garlic and sauté for a minute or two more. Pour in your white wine and let it simmer until all the liquid has evaporated (see image below). Add your stock and cooked beans, and bring to a simmer. Next, throw in your halved tomatoes and chopped asparagus. Simmer until the asparagus is fork tender, but still has a bite to it. If your liquid level appears to be low, feel free to add a little more stock. Season to your liking.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with one poached egg each, and a spoonful of pesto.

*A quick note on pesto: Giving you a recipe for pesto feels a little too amateur hour for me, so I made the executive decision to skip it. At this point, even if you've never made pesto, I think it's pretty clear to most people (especially those who are reading food blogs) that pesto is comprised of basil, parmesan, garlic, either pine nuts or walnuts, and some olive oil. Maybe it makes me a jerk, but writing a pesto recipe is just too much like writing an avocado toast recipe. All I'm saying is, I know you guys are better than that.