I’m clearly in my Soup Era. Soupe au Pistou is my third soup recipe on the blog this year!
Why is Soupe au Pistou the book-inspired recipe for The Memory of Lavender and Sage?
There are many, many wonderful-sounding recipes in The Memory of Lavender and Sage. As my British friend often says, I was spoiled for choice. And, of course, I thought I had wanted to make something with lavender or sage. Or both!
But when main character Tempesta brought a steaming tureen of soupe au pistou to a sick friend, I knew I’d found my book-inspired recipe. The pistou ingredients sounded similar to the homemade pesto that Tempesta sells at her village market.
Ultimately, the dish in the book just sounded so savory and so delicious and so comforting that I knew I had to make it for this blog post.
What is Soupe au Pistou?
Soupe au Pistou is a classic French and traditional Provençale soup. Think of it as a French minestrone, only without the tomato-based broth. It features a simple broth made with vegetable or chicken stock, and it’s chock-full of beans and fresh, seasonal veggies.
The pièce de resistance is the pistou that you swirl into it. Like I mentioned, pistou is similar to pesto, only it’s made without nuts. Fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, onion, garlic**, and, in keeping with Provençale tradition, some tomatoes or tomato paste.
While you season the soup with salt and pepper as it cooks, the pistou is what packs all the flavor in soupe au pistou.
Swirl it in, heap it in –whatever you do, just don’t skimp on le pistou.
My version of soupe au pistou includes some of my favorite veggies: carrots, zucchini, and green beans. Other classic versions of this dish include potatoes and peas, so feel free to add those into yours.
I gave myself a break and used canned cannellini beans instead of dry beans, so you should feel free do that, too. You can also swap out the cannellini beans for any white bean you want, or even kidney or pinto beans.
And, one more unusual (for me) but beloved ingredient goes into Soupe au Pistou: leeks.
A leek in the system
Leeks are a staple of French cooking; they yield gentle onion flavor without all the stinging harshness of large onions or shallots. It’s been years since I’ve cooked with leeks, but one slice into those thick green stalks, and I immediately vowed to cook with them more often.
I think that leeks smell like springtime. They’re so fresh and verdant when you’re cutting them, and they sauté with some olive oil or butter into melt-in-your-mouth morsels.
Many people avoid leeks because take a little extra effort to clean. Leeks are grown in sandy soil, and the sand often makes its way into the center of the leek (don’t ask me how). Before you cook with leeks, you have to clean them. Otherwise, you risk having a very gritty meal.
However, using fresh leeks is worth the extra 2-3 minutes it takes to prep them. All you have to do is split them down the middle length-wise and fan out the folds under running water. This ensures all the sand is washed out.
Another easy way to clean leeks is to chop them up and place them in a bowl of water for a few minutes. Swirl them around with your hand, then pour everything into a colander to wash away all the sand.
What I love about Soupe au Pistou
Soupe au pistou tastes like springtime in a bowl. I adored the freshness of all the different veggies, and the added bite of the cannellini beans was a welcome change from most soups I eat.
And, stirring pistou into broth is my new obsession. Its herby, fresh goodness floods your mouth with every bite. I added rosemary to my pistou since Tempesta adds rosemary to her homemade pesto in the book, and I wanted my pistou to be as close to her pesto as possible.
I loved the rosemary-basil combo. The basil is so bright and the rosemary is kinda earthy, so they mix really well together.
My pistou recipe below doesn’t contain garlic since my husband and I don’t really like garlic much. However, garlic is a traditional ingredient of pistou, and I can only imagine how even more amazeballs this spread would be with that added in. I might try making pistou with garlic next time.
What do you serve with Soupe au Pistou?
Serve Soupe au Pistou for lunch alongside a loaf of warm, crusty French bread (for dipping!), or with some Honey Challah Bread. This would also be yummy alongside a Potato and Onion Knish.
The soup makes a great appetizer for a dinner of Coq au Vin, Chickpea Chicken and Quinoa, or Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce. Finish your meal with a sweet treat like Raspberry Rose Profiteroles, Peach Ice Cream, or Vanilla Oatmeal Cookies.
Soupe au Pistou
Ingredients
PISTOU INGREDIENTS**
- 4 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
SOUP INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 lb small short pasta (like small shells, elbows, etc)
- 2 leeks, rinsed and thinly sliced
- 2 15-oz cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
- 3 cups zucchini, diced
- 12 oz fresh green beans, sliced in halves or thirds
- 1-2 tbsp salt (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- homemade pistou, to taste (see recipe above)
Instructions
PISTOU INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine rosemary, basil, onion powder, tomato paste, grated cheese, and salt in a small food processor. Blitz ingredients until pulverized, then slowly drizzle in the ¼ cup olive oil until a paste forms.
- Scoop the pistou into a small bowl and set aside.
SOUPE AU PISTOU PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook and drain pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Rinse and slice the leeks: cut leeks lengthwise in half, fan out the halves under running water to rinse out any sand. Then thinly slice halved leeks.
- Drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans, then set aside.
- Slice the carrots and set aside.
- Dice zucchini and cut string beans, then set aside.
SOUPE AU PISTOU COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Stir the leeks and carrots into the oil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Stir the zucchini and greens beans into the pot. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes, until zucchini and green beans are slightly softened but still vibrant in color.
- Add salt, ground pepper, cannellini beans, and broth to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Taste and add any seasonings to your taste.
- To serve Soupe au Pistou: spoon some cooked pasta into a bowl, then ladle the soup, veggies, and beans on top. Stir in a tablespoon (or more!) of pistou. Keep pistou nearby since you might want to add more while you eat.
Notes
