Soupe au Pistou - A Wonderful Provençal Soup

Soupe au Pistou is a delicious Provençal vegetable soup. "Pistou" is the French word for Pesto alla Genovese, a basil sauce which originated in Genoa, Italy. The pistou is made separately from the soup and mixed in with the soup when it is served. The main difference between Genoan pesto and the Provençal pistou is that the latter does not have pine nuts.

We served this dish as one course in a French meal we had with friends. 

The recipe I used was an Ina Garten recipe which I found on Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/provencal-vegetable-soup-recipe.html) It is very easy to make, but takes a bit of time. The original recipe states that it yields 6 - 8 servings. I followed the original recipe closely, and it yielded 10 generous servings.

The recipe below is divided into two parts - one for the soup and one for the pistou.

Soup Ingredients

- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onions - 2 onions (One large onion did the trick for me.)
- 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts - 2 to 4 leeks (I only need 1 & 1/2 large leeks. It is important to wash leeks carefully because they can easily hold sand. There are on-line videos showing how to do this.)
- 3 cups of 1/2-inch-diced, unpeeled boiling potatoes - 1 pound (Boiling potatoes are potatoes such as red potatoes or Yukon gold. It took me 3 medium potatoes)
- 3 cups of 1/2-inch diced carrots - 1 pound (about 13-14 ounces was what I needed for 3 cups.)
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 quarts homemade chicken stock or canned broth (I used the canned.)
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads (I omitted this ingredient.)
- 1/2 pound haricots verts, with ends removed and cut in 1/2 (I used regular fresh green beans.)
- 4 ounces spaghetti, broken into pieces
- 1 cup pistou 
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Soup Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot. Add the onions and sauté over low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots, salt, and pepper; and sauté over medium heat for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock/broth; bring to a boil; then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.

Add the haricots verts and spaghetti; and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.

To serve, whisk 1/4 cup of the pistou into the hot soup; then season to taste. Depending on the saltiness of your chicken stock, you may need to add up to another tablespoon of salt. (Mine needed no additional salt.) Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and more pistou.

Pistou Ingredients

- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 24 large basil leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup of good olive oil

Pistou Directions

Place the garlic, tomato paste, basil, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor, and purée.

With the food processor motor running, slowly pour the olive oil down the feed tube to make a paste.

Pack into a container; pour a film of olive oil on top; and close the lid.

Refrigerate if not using immediately.

Terrific Corn, Zucchini, and Tomato Soup with Basil

I recently decided that I wanted to cook a soup that included corn, zucchini, and tomato. I initially thought I would create my own recipe, but when I did a bit of Internet searching for inspiration, I discovered a recipe that sounded really good. It was! This particular one was at http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/corn-tomato-and-zucchini-soup-with-basil/. I found similar ones at other web sites.)

There are a couple of differences between the original recipe and what I cooked. Instead of using 4 ears of corn on the cob, I took the easier route of using a can of cooked Libby's sweet corn. I also used two medium tomatoes instead of the two cups mentioned in the original.

While the original said it serves 4, I found that it produced enough for about 8 bowls. I loved it so much that I had three bowls the first night.

Below is my version. If you want to try the version with corn on the cob, I recommend that you visit the web site above for detailed instructions:

Ingredients
- 1 large onion, minced (I used a sweet yellow onion)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced (the original called for 6 cloves of unspecified size)
- 2 small or 1 large zucchini shredded or diced. (I diced two medium zucchini)
- 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped
- salt and fresh black pepper to taste
- 1 15-oz. can of Libby's cooked sweet corn
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar - red wine, balsamic, or white (I used Badia a Coltibuono red wine vinegar. If you're ever in Tuscany - visit Badia a Coltibuono near Gaiole in Chianti!)
- 1/2 cup minced fresh basil leaves
- grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. In a large soup pot, saute the onion over medium-low heat until tender and translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add zucchini, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the broth and corn, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and basil. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread. 

Excellent and Easy Cream of Celery Soup

Recently, I came across this nice cream of celery soup recipe at food.com while searching for a way to use some leftover celery. After finding the recipe, I discovered that the celery had passed its useful life. Since I now had my heart set on this recipe, I went out and bought more celery. The recipe is from http://www.food.com/recipe/celery-cream-soup-22751.

Prep time is 10 minutes; total time is 55 minutes; and it produces six servings.

Ingredients

- 3 tbsp nutter
- 1 & 1/2 lbs celery ribs, sliced (cross wise. The celery will be puréed.)
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tbsp flour
- 6 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste (color of pepper is important to keep creamy appearance of the soup)
- celery leaves to garnish

Directions
- In a large pan, melt butter; add celery, onions, and garlic
- Cook over medium-low heat until soft
- Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes over low heat
- Add chicken broth an bay leaf; bring to a boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes
- Remove bay leaf and purée in small batches in a blender or food processor. (Instead of that slower process, I left the ingredients in the cooking pan, and puréed them using a hand-held immersion blender. That seemed to work just fine.)
- Add cream, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt and pepper
- Reheat and simmer 5 minutes
- Garnish with celery leaves