Soupe au Pistou
This is a bean and pasta soup similar to minestrone, featuring garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Soupe au Pistou is a typical summer soup. It's full of veggies, legumes, tomatoes, and herbs. It's eaten lukewarm during long summer nights, outside on the patio.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dried Great Northern, navy, or cannellini beans ( or 6 cups cooked)
- 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, and parsley)
- 2 turnips
- 5 cloves garlic
- 250 grams green beans
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 zucchinis
- 200 grams small pasta like macaroni
- 5 tbsp crushed fresh basil
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Put the beans in a pot and cover them with cold water. Soak them overnight. Strain the beans and put them in a large cooking pot. Add 2.5 liter of water, salt, and the bouquet garni. Bring it to a boil and let it slowly cook for 1.5 hours.
- Cut the ends of the green beans and wash them. Wash the zucchini and cut them in (not too thin) slices. Peel the carrots and turnips and cut them in little cubes.
- After 1.5 hours of cooking, add the carrots and turnips to the beans. Cook for about 20 minutes. Add the green beans and zucchinis. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Dip the tomatoes in boiling water and remove the skin. Cut them in quarters and add them to the pot. Add the pasta now too. Turn the heat off after about 10 more minutes. Let it sit.
- During that time, peel the garlic cloves and crush it with the basil in a mortar. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil when the consistency is pasty, and continue stirring. Add 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (or any other grated cheese that you like).
- Pour the soup in a serving bowl. Add salt and pepper if needed and add the basil sauce while stirring. Serve lukewarm.