Stir in more in the last 10 or 20 minutes of cooking to brighten and focus flavors. Be generous with fresh herbs, especially mild ones like basil. The Final Seasoning Minestrone always gets a final seasoning at the end of cooking, or at the table. Some regional cooks have their favorites. Try each of them and see which you like best.
Ligurian cooks stir in pesto a fabulous finish.
The soup's heat releases all the fragrance of the uncooked basil, garlic and cheese. I add a chopped up medium-sized fresh tomato too when they're in season. Vary the pesto idea by blending garlic, oil, and cheese with herbs other than basil-for example sage, rosemary, or marjoram. In Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche, each diner adds a little olive oil and freshly ground black pepper at the table. Just about everyone likes grated Parmigiano-Reggiano in his or her minestrone at one time or another.