Rachel Roddy's summer minestrone with pesto recipe serves six people and includes courgettes, green beans, potatoes, white beans, tomatoes, onion, celery, parsley, and a pesto made from garlic, pine nuts or almonds, herbs, olive oil and grated cheese. ^[1] The author bought unpeeled thick beans in late spring because they were very cheap. ^[2] The author decided to dry the beans for summer storage. ^[3] The author found dried beans stored under kitchen furniture and under the refrigerator. ^[4] In her minestrone method, Roddy specifies simmering the vegetable base with 1.5 liters of water and a Parmesan rind for roughly 30 minutes, then adding the drained white beans about 10 minutes before the soup is done. ^[5] Roddy advises that if minestrone is prepared in advance, resting for hours improves flavor and texture, but in hot weather, any rest longer than an hour should take place in a cool spot or fridge to avoid spoilage, followed by gentle reheating. ^[6] The author buys thick beans once a week to check their condition. ^[7] Rachel Roddy's minestrone recipe draws inspiration from three recipes in Laura Ragoni's book Profumi e Sapori di Liguria. ^[8]