Soups and Starters Recipes - Soupe au Pistou Recipe

  
 

Soups and Starters Recipes - Soupe au Pistou Recipe

Ingredients

Serve 6

  • 250 g/8 oz dried haricot beans

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 250 g/8 oz carrots, diced

  • 2 leeks, diced

  • 2 celery sticks, diced

  • 375 g/12 oz tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

  • 1.2 liters/2 pints water

  • 250 g/8 oz potatoes, diced

  • 250 g/8 oz thin French beans, cut into 1 cm/1/2 inch lengths

  • 375 g/12 oz courgettes, diced

  • 50 g/2 oz vermicelli

  • salt and pepper

Pistou:

  • 34 garlic cloves, peeled

  • pinch of salt

  • 20 large basil leaves

  • 125 g/4 oz grated Parmesan cheese

  • 125 ml/4 fl oz olive oil

Method:

  1. Put the haricot beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Leave overnight or for at least 5 hours to soak. Drain the beans and transfer to a saucepan.

  2. Cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum on the surface and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots, leeks, celery and tomatoes and fry over a low heat for 2 minutes, then add the water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat immediately and simmer for 15 minutes.

  4. Add the potatoes, French beans, courgettes, vermicelli and the reserved haricot beans and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the pasta and all the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. Meanwhile, make the pistou. Put the garlic, salt and basil in a food processor or blender and process to a paste.

  6. Add the Parmesan and, with the motor running, pour in the olive oil in a thin trickle through the feed tube until you have a thick green paste.

  7. Stir into the soup just before serving, or hand the pistou separately.