Soupe au Pistou (Vegetable Soup With Pesto)

Name: Soupe au Pistou (Vegetable Soup With Pesto)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 1 tomato, cored; 1 cup basil leaves; 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves; 2 garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 3 ounces Parmesan or Gruyère, grated; 1 celery rib, diced; 1 carrot, peeled and diced; 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced; 1 sprig thyme; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1/2 pound potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces; 1/2 pound zucchini or summer squash, cut into bite-size pieces; 1/2 pound string beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 3/4 pound kale, roughly chopped; 1/2 pound fresh fava beans, shelled; 3/4 cup small pasta shells

Recipe from Jessica B. Harris

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Soupe au Pistou (Vegetable Soup With Pesto) — Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(467)
Comments: Read comments

The cookbook author and culinary historian Jessica B. Harris adapted this recipe from a meal she once had in the South of France at the home of James Baldwin, and it appears in her 2017 memoir, "My Soul Looks Back." It's a simple Provençal soup — French country cooking at its best — made with whatever vegetables are in season and brightened with generous spoonfuls of green pesto. You could use a vegetable stock or a light chicken stock instead of water, if you happen to have one, but there's no need: A good dollop of pesto will deliver a bright, garlicky flavor that permeates every bite. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: Provence in a Bowl

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4-6

For the Pistou

1tomato, cored
1cup basil leaves
1cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2garlic cloves
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3ounces Parmesan or Gruyère, grated

For the Soup

1celery rib, diced
1carrot, peeled and diced
1leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
1sprig thyme
2tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½pound potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
½pound zucchini or summer squash, cut into bite-size pieces
½pound string beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
¾pound kale, roughly chopped
½pound fresh fava beans, shelled
¾cup small pasta shells

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the pistou: Purée the tomato, basil, parsley and garlic in a food processor. While the machine is running, drizzle in the oil. Add the cheese, and mix well, then transfer to a small bowl.
Step 2
Make the soup: In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, add celery, carrot, leek, thyme and olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Add the potatoes and 8 cups water, and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, then stir in remaining vegetables and pasta. Cook uncovered until the pasta is al dente and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in about half the pistou. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with the rest of the pistou on the side, spooning it directly into the soup as needed.

Ratings

4 out of 5

467 user ratings

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Comments

ZenOfPie7 years ago

See Step 3 - "...then stir in remaining vegetables and pasta."

Régine B.7 years ago

From someone who grew up in Provence: I have never seen this soup made with fava beans, but with Romano beans and a white type of beans - haricots blancs. In Canada, I just use more Romano beans. I purchase them in the summer time, and freeze them (without their shells, and without washing them) for the rest of the year. I might add the the right type of green beans is the flat one and that no one uses kale. As for the pesto, it is only made with basil - no parsley here.

jill7 years ago

I made the soup and it was delicious. The changes were substituting lima beans for fava beans and using 1/2 chicken broth/water. The recipe made more than enough for 4-6 people, at least 8-10 as a main dish. I served it with Sam Sifton's Chicken-Liver Pate on crusty bread. No room for anything else. 45 minutes is not an accurate time. With the rinsing, peeling, paring and chopping the vegetables, and returning to boiling at each step, it took me 80 minutes from start to finish.

Cameron6 years ago

Needs a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to brighten the flavours

Lneufeld6 years ago

This worked well. Used grated gruyere for pesto, more basil than parsley. 8 cups chicken broth. Chopped onion, carrots, and celery together in food processor. Substituted spinach for kale, used green and yellow string beans, fresh limas for fava. Will definitely repeat.

Fran7 years ago

It's really inaccurate to translate the french word "pistou" by "pesto"! Pistou and Pesto are two different things ! And this recipe uses neither one nor the other. Pistou is traditionally made with basil, garlic, olive oil and salt that's all. Adding a diced tomato is acceptable but neither cheese nor parsley would be added in this Provençal dish. On top of the ingredients for Pistou, Pesto contains pine nuts, Parmigiano and Pecorino cheese.

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