Minestrone Soup with Tuscan Sausage and Arugula Pesto

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 large shallot, cut up
• 2 cups packed arugula leaves
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 5 cups chicken broth (page 5)
• 5 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups cooked dried beans, such as borlotti, cannellini, or Great Northern
• 1 large waxy potato, such as red, white, or Yukon gold, peeled and cut into neat 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound Tuscan Sausage (page 41), formed into cherry tomatosize balls

1. To make the pesto, in a food processor, combine the pine nuts and shallot and process until very finely chopped.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
3. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
4. To make the soup, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and garlic and saute until wilted, 2 minutes.
6. Add the carrot, celery, oregano, rosemary, and salt and saute until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, and water, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
8. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender and the broth is richly flavored, about 15 minutes.
9. Add the potato and sausage balls and continue cooking, uncovered, until the potatoes are just soft enough to mash, 20 to 25 minutes.
10. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls.
11. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon or so of the pesto.
12. Pass the remaining pesto at the table.

pine nuts, shallot, arugula, parsley, kosher salt, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, white onion, clove garlic, carrot, celery, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, kosher salt, tomato paste, chicken broth, water, beans, potato, sausage

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/minestrone-soup-with-tuscan-sausage-and-arugula-pesto-389464 (may not work)