Yotam Ottolenghi's summer minestrone with basil cream recipe, plus poached cod parcels

Summer minestrone with basil cream (V) There is no set list of ingredients for minestrone – almost anything seasonal goes, so add to or omit from this as you like. Serves four to six. 60ml olive oil, plus extra to finish 10 baby shallots, peeled and halved 10 baby potatoes, peeled and, if bigger than bite-sized, cut into 2.5cm chunks 15 thin baby carrots, peeled and, if thicker than an asparagus spear, cut lengthways 6 baby fennel, quartered lengthways 200ml semi-dry white wine 2 bay leaves 750ml vegetable stock 100g thin asparagus, trimmed 100g mangetout 2 medium bunches flat-leaf parsley, one tied together with a string, the other picked and chopped 100g fresh or frozen peas 150g frozen or fresh broad beans, blanched and skinned Salt and black pepper For the basil cream 70g grated hard Italian-style cheese (or, for non-vegetarians, parmesan) 50g soured cream 25g finely chopped basil To make the basil cream, combine all the ingredients, season and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat and add the shallots, potatoes and carrots. Sauté for eight minutes, stirring often – you want to soften the vegetables without colouring them. Add the fennel and continue to sauté for two minutes. Add the wine and bay leaves, and reduce for four minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, along with the asparagus, mangetout, the tied bunch of parsley, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the peas and broad beans, and simmer for a final three minutes. Remove the bay leaves and parsley bunch and stir in the chopped parsley. Serve in bowls with some basil cream and a drizzle of oil. Poached cod parcels Use spring greens or other large leaves instead of the chard, if you prefer. Serves four. 400g Swiss chard leaves 4 150g sustainably sourced cod fillets 100ml vermouth 100ml water 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish 2 bay leaves 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tsp pink peppercorns ½ tsp black mustard seeds Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus a drizzle of juice 1 tbsp chopped chives Salt and black pepper Start with the chard. Use a small, sharp knife to cut out the tough stalks, keeping the leaves intact as best you can. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and blanch the chard for a minute. Drain, refresh under cold water, then lay the leaves out on a tea towel and pat dry. Season the fish liberally all over. Place a fillet in the middle of a chard leaf and wrap it up like a parcel. Place this on another leaf and repeat so that there are two layers of chard around the fish. Repeat with the remaining fish and chard. Pour the vermouth, water and oil into a pan large enough for the cod parcels to sit in tightly. Add the bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, mustard seeds and a quarter-teaspoon of salt and put on medium heat. When the liquid starts to simmer, lower in the parcels – they will not be completely covered – and poach for eight to 12 minutes, until just cooked. Remove the parcels from the liquid with a slotted spoon and raise the heat to high. Let the liquid bubble away for three to four minutes, until it reduces to just a few tablespoons. Place a cod parcel on each plate and spoon over some of the sauce, together with a few peppercorns and some mustard seeds. Drizzle over olive oil and a little bit of lemon juice and finish with a sprinkling of chives and lemon zest. • Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.