Soupe au Pistou
Provençal Pistou (pesto) only contains basil, olive oil, and garlic. So there is no hard cheese or pine nuts in the piston recipe, like the Italian Genova pesto. The broth of the soup can have any kind of vegetable that you want to put in it. Generally, the recipe calls for white beans, tomato, carrots, potato and a pasta of your choice for the soup. You can simply adapt the recipe according to your wish but a whole spoonful of pistou on top of the soup is a must here!
Ingredients:
Soup:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head fennel, diced, or 4 stalks celery, sliced
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and shredded with a box grater
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning blend
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken broth, or Imagine no-chicken broth
2 14-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinse
5 tablespoons classic Pistou
Preparation:
Heat oil in a large heavy bottom soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, fennel (or celery) and onion and cook, stirring often until the onion starts to brown, 9 to 10 minutes.
Add herbes de Provence, salt, pepper and smoked paprika and cook stirring for 30 seconds. Add wine and cook, stirring often until the wine is evaporated about 90 seconds.
Add in broth, potatoes, rosemary. Bring to a simmer over high heat, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Mash 1 can of beans in a small bowl. Stir mashed and whole beans into the simmering soup.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with tablespoon pesto or pistou.