Vegetable Soup with Basil Puree: Best in Class #Soup

Vegetable soup can be exciting; this recipe is the proof. It can be more than comfort food. This vegetable soup has such depth of flavor that even meat eaters, would be satisfied without the benefit of meat. I’ve made variations of the vegetable soup all the time. Time when excess vegetables hidden in the bottom drawer in the fridge are pulled out and made into a soup. But this soup has got to be the best in its class.

If I have to venture to explain why this soup is so good, two ingredients stand out for doing the heavy lifting: the Great Northern beans and the fresh basil pistou.

This recipe comes from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz. Whatever vegetables that are in season are fair game for a vegetable soup. I followed the recipe closely as written. Gathered the suggested carrots, zucchini, frozen peas, since I always have them on hand.

First soak half a bag (200g) of dried Great Northern beans overnight. I cooked them the next day in a large Dutch oven with a few bay leaves for about an hour, or until tender. Hard to believe that’s most of cooking time you need to make a soup with such a deep and complex flavor. You don’t need hours to develop the flavor. Amazing!

Next go the diced onion, minced garlic and the vegetables. Add them in the pot of beans and simmer briefly, for about 10-20 minutes. The recipe calls for three quarters of a cup of small dried pasta in the soup. I used some whole wheat elbows. They could be left out, in my opinion. I don’t think they added much to the taste or texture of the soup. On the other hand, the Great Northern beans are one of the most valuable players. They thicken the soup and give it the desired body and creaminess.

Vegetable soup with green and purple basil puree

Pistou is the French version of the Italian pesto without the nuts. The ingredients include a copious amount of fresh basil leaves (100g), garlic clove, olive oil (45ml) and grated Parmesan cheese (90g). Mash and pound them into a soft smooth paste. One small tomato, peeled and seeded, went in at the end to loosen up the basil puree. I used both the green and purple basil since the purple basil has been growing gangbuster in my garden. They tasted and smelled about the same. I could have doubled the pistou recipe and would still not have enough. The basil pistou says “summer fresh” and “alive” to me.

I couldn’t wait to make this soup again. Meanwhile, check out what our friends at Cook-the-Book-Fridays think about this recipe.

The leftover soup from the bottom of the pot was equally wonderful the day after – thicker and no less flavorful.

The leftover soup the day after was just as good, but thicker

Print Recipe

Soupe au pistou

By David Lebovitz – Serves: 4-6

Try to have all the vegetables diced and sliced about the same size, which makes for a nice presentation. Of course, you can vary the vegetables according to what’s available. Feel free to add any other herbs when sauteing the vegetables. I like to cook or “sweat” vegetables, in a saute pan first, which encourages extra flavor out of them. If you wish to use canned beans, use 2 cups (300g, drained) or for a real treat, use 2 cups of fresh cooked shelling beans.

Ingredients

• FOR THE SOUP:
• 1 cup (200g) dried beans
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced, or 3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 medium carrots (6 ounces, 170g) carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 medium zucchini (1 pound, 450g) diced
• 8 ounces (260g) green beans, tips removed and cut crosswise into quarters
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup (250g) fresh or frozen peas
• 1 cup (100g) dried pasta; any small variety will do, such as orzo, vermicelli, elbows, or shells
• FOR THE PISTOU:
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups (40g) gently packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 small tomato; peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 1/2 ounces (45g) Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1

Rinse and sort the beans. Soak the beans overnight covered in cold water.

2

The next day, drain the beans and put them in a large saucepan with the bay leaves and enough water to cover the beans with about 1 1/2 quarts (1.5l) of water. Cook the beans for about an hour, or until tender, adding more water if necessary to keep them immersed. Once cooked, remove the beans from the heat and set aside.

3

In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil.

4

Add the onions or leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.

5

Add the thyme, diced carrots, zucchini, green beans, garlic, and salt. Season with pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely cooked. Add the cooked beans and their liquid, then the peas and pasta, plus 2 quarts (2l) water. Bring the soup to a boil, and simmer a few minutes until the pasta is cooked.

6

While the soup is cooking, make the pistou.

7

Pound the garlic to a paste in a mortar and pestle (or use a food processor) with a generous pinch of salt.

8

Coarsely chop the basil leaves and pound them into the garlic until the mixture is relatively smooth.

9

Drizzle in the olive oil slowly, while pounding, then pound in the tomato and cheese. Taste, and season with more salt if desired.

Notes

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/soupe-au-pistou-french-vegetable-soup-recipe/