Vegetable Soup With Basil Sauce (Soupe Au Pistou)
This hearty vegetable soup is a comforting blend of tender potatoes, flavorful beans, and vibrant tomatoes simmered in a fragrant vegetable stock. Each spoonful is a symphony of savory flavors, complemented by a delightful pistou sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, and cheese. Perfect for a cozy evening meal, this soup is sure to warm your soul and satisfy your cravings.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 yellow or white onions, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 8 potatoes such as Red Rose, Belle de
- Fontenay or Bintje, about 3 lb., diced
- 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into
- 1-inch lengths
- 2 cups fresh shelling beans such as cranberry,
- flageolet or lima (about 2 lb.)
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with juice
- 3 quarts vegetable stock
- 2 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp. minced fresh marjoram
- 1 cup broken spaghetti or other thin pasta
- (small pieces)
- 20 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, green beans and shelling beans and cook, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon, until the beans are glistening and the potatoes are nearly opaque, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and their juice. Then add the stock, thyme, salt, pepper and marjoram. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and beans are soft, about 40 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is done, 10 to 15 minutes more.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the <I>pistou:</I> In a food processor, combine the garlic, basil, cheese, pine nuts and 3 Tbs. of the olive oil. Process using short on-off pulses to form a paste. With the machine running, gradually add enough of the remaining oil to form a thick sauce. Add the salt and process briefly to blend. Alternately, combine the garlic, basil, cheese and pine nuts in a mortar and pound them with a pestle until they form a smooth, thick paste. Gradually add the olive oil, stirring with the pestle until a thick sauce forms. Season with the salt.
- To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls, then stir 1 Tbs. of the <I>pistou</I> into each bowl. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of the cheese. Pass the remaining <I>pistou</I> and cheese in separate serving bowls at the table.
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