Soupe au pistou (Provencal summer soup)

Soups & stews

Soupe au pistou (Provencal summer soup)

Name: Soupe au pistou (Provencal summer soup)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 5

Serves 5 1h 20 min

There are literally hundreds of recipes for this soup and its Italian counterpart, minestrone. The bare essentials are haricot beans, onion, celery, and tomato; beyond these you can use pretty much any soup-friendly vegetable you like. The pistou sauce is a lovely addition. Italian pesto is essentially the same sauce, and if you want to cut corners use some good from a jar. This soup reheats well.

Ingredients

main

100g dried haricot beans, soaked in cold water overnight, then cooked (or use tinned beans)
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 or 2 leeks, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
100g potatoes, diced
a few carrots or a turnip, diced
2 courgettes, diced (optional)
100g runner or French beans, sliced

For the pistou

bunch fresh basil
handful pine nuts (optional)
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with a little salt
100g Parmesan, freshly grated
150ml olive oil
salt and pepper

Image of Soupe au pistou (Provencal summer soup)

Method

Prep time: 20 min

Cooking time: 1h

To make the soup

Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, add the onion, celery and leeks and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Step 2
Add the sliced garlic and cook briefly. Stir in the tomatoes, turn up the heat and add the potatoes, carrot and turnips.
Step 3
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4
Add the courgettes and beans, plus enough water just to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 5
Add the cooked haricot beans with enough of their cooking liquor to give a soupy consistency. Season to taste.

To make the pistou

Step 1
Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor, then stir into the soup.