Soup au Pistou

Pistou comes from Southern France and is very like Italian pesto. It is usually served over soup made from spring vegetables.

Ingredients

250 g dried haricot beans

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 carrots, diced

bouquet garni

4 pmames, diced

150 g small green beans, chopped

500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock

3 tomatoes

4 zucchini, diced

150 g vermicelli, broken

into pieces

150 g peas, fresh or frozen

Pistou

6 garlic cloves

85 g basil leaves

100 g grated Parmesan cheese

185 ml olive oil

Method

Soak the haricot beans in cold water overnight then drain, put in a saucepan and cover with cold

water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the beans are tender. Drain well.

Next make the the pistou, put the garlic, basil and Parmesan in a food processor or a mortar and pestle and process or pound until finely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil, with the motor running if you are using the food processor, or pound constantly with the mortar and pestle, and mix thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the celery, carrot and bouquet garni and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potato, green beans, chicken stock and 1.75 litres water and simmer for 10 minutes.

Score a cross in the top of each tomato. Plunge into boiling water for 20 seconds, then drain and peel the skin away from the cross. Chop the tomatoes finely, discarding the cores. Add to the soup with the zucchini, haricot beans, vermicelli and peas and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Season and serve with pistou on top.