Country Vegetable Soup With Basil Pistou

Country Vegetable Soup With Basil Pistou
  • Author: Mike Robinson

This hearty vegetable soup is a comforting dish filled with a medley of colorful veggies and tender beans, simmered in a flavorful broth. Topped with a vibrant basil and Parmesan pistou, this soup is perfect for a cozy meal on a chilly day. Serve with crusty bread for a satisfying and delicious experience.

— Constant Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 carrots
  • 4 tbsp/2½fl oz good-quality olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 small potatoes (such as Maris Piper)
  • 4 garlic
  • 1 ready-made bouquet garni
  • 2 litres/3 pints 10fl oz water
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 200g/7oz canned haricot beans
  • large bunch fresh basil
  • 100g/3½oz parmesan
  • 100ml/3½fl oz good-quality olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Chop the celery and carrots into small dice.
  • While you're chopping the vegetables, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the chopped celery and carrots to the pan.
  • Peel the onion and chop into pieces the same size as the chopped celery and carrots. Add to the pan.
  • Chop the potatoes into pieces the same size as the other vegetables and add to the pan.
  • Lightly crush the garlic cloves with the heel of your hand and add the unpeeled cloves to the pan. Gently sweat the vegetables in the olive oil for a few minutes, just to colour them slightly. Add the bouquet garni.
  • Pour in the water and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and bring the soup to the simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.
  • Make the pistou. Place the basil leaves in a clean bowl. Roughly chop the parmesan and add to the bowl. Pour in the olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Blend to a smooth sauce with a hand-held blender (alternatively you could make the sauce in a mini-food processor). The sauce should be bright green and have a fairly smooth consistency (you may need to add more oil).
  • Add the beans to the soup. Remove the bouquet garni.
  • Cook until the vegetables are tender and the beans are heated through.
  • To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and swirl a spoonful or two of the pistou into each. Drizzle over some olive oil and serve with some good bread.

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Cook Time

1H

Prep Time

PT30M

Yield

Serves 6