Pistou soup
Prep time less than 30 mins
Cook time less than 30 mins
Serves 4-6
From The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo
A light, spicy twist on a traditional summer vegetable soup. French ‘pistou’ is a distant relative of the Italian pesto, but my version reflects the Vietnamese influence on modern French food.
Method
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For the pistou, crush the ingredients to a smooth paste in a pestle and mortar (or use a food processor).
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For the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
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Add the thyme, bay leaves, tomato purée, carrots and courgettes, then cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are al dente (tender but still a little crunchy).
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Add the green beans with the boiling water and bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
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Add the white beans and peas. Remove the sprig of thyme and the bay leaves, then add the salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
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Serve immediately in bowls, with a dollop of Vietnamese pistou on top of the soup.
Ingredients
For the Vietnamese pistou
- 1 bunch of Vietnamese or Thai basil, chopped
- 1 stalk of lemongrass, roughly chopped
- ½ small red chilli, seeds removed
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
For the soup
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 courgettes, diced
- 200g/7oz green beans, cut into small pieces
- 2 litres/3½ pints boiling water
- 100g/3½oz dried pasta (a small variety like orzo)
- 1 x 400g/14oz tin white beans (e.g. haricots blancs, cannellini), drained and rinsed
- 200g/7oz fresh or frozen peas
- 1 tbsp salt
- pinch sugar
- freshly ground black pepper
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