When my sister had her baby, my precious nephew Aidan, she was given the usual array of meals by friends and relatives: lasagnas, garlic breads, salads, loafs of breads, cookies and muffins. But one gift stood out amongst the rest, and it was one of the most delicious soups either of us had ever tried. The giver of the soup was gracious enough to give the recipe to my sister, who lovingly passed it on to me. I don't have the name of the lady who originally made the soup for my sister, so unfortunately I can't give her credit. But I know she is out there somewhere, and I love her for this soup!
Soupe au Pistou
For the soup:
One pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 large onion, chopped
4 Tbs olive oil
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped*
3 quarts water
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup sliced leeks
1 cup celery leaves
1 Tbs Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked navy beans
1 1/2 cups green beans, cleaned and snapped
1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
1/2 cup vermicelli
For the pistou:
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 Tbs dried basil**
2 Tbs tomato paste
6 Tbs olive oil
In a 6 quart kettle, saute onions in oil three to four minutes. Add tomatoes, cook an additional three to four minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Add carrots, potatoes, leeks, celery leaves, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered fifteen minutes. Add navy beans, green beans, zucchini and vermicelli. Simmer fifteen minutes or until vegetables are tender.
To prepare pistou, combine all ingredients to make a paste. Thin by stirring 1/2 cup of the soup broth into the paste. Stir pistou into soup kettle.
*Unless it is the absolute peak of tomato season, I suggest using canned whole tomatoes, which will offer a much better result than tomatoes that are not local, fresh and ripe.
**I choose to use fresh basil whenever possible, and as this is simply a pesto sauce and I always use fresh basil for pesto, I would suggest using approximately 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil in place of the dried basil.
This soup would go great served with a caesar salad and some really great crusty bread. It is also wonderful reheated, so it's a nice one to prepare on a cold fall or winter Saturday and have on standby to pull out on a busy night. I hope you enjoy this as much as my sister and I do!
2 comments:
I can't wait to try these recipes! Thanks for sharing -- it was fun to chat today while you were at work...and we certainly enjoyed the lunch!
I love soupe au pistou! A true Provencal favorite, although your recipe has more of an Italian twist than the version I learned in France. Try gruyere as the cheese sometime instead of the parmesan; it's really good! And for a really authentic pistou, use a mortar and pestal to make the paste. Thanks for sharing. :)
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