Soup au Pistou

Yield: 1 Gallon
Serves 16
 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup each diced yellow squash and zucchini
• 1 cup each diced celery, carrot, leek and fennel
• 2 cups green beans, cut ½ inch long
• 2 cups fresh cranberry beans
• 3 cups diced, seeded roma tomato
• ¼ cup chopped garlic
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 quarts water
• 1 cup pastini or toasted couscous, cooked al dente
• Fresh bay leaf
• Maldon sea salt

Method:
In a soup pan heat oil and add celery, carrot, onion, leek, fennel and garlic and cook over medium heat 5-8 minutes to start releasing the flavors of the vegetables.  Add water, fresh bay leaf and cranberry beans and cook beans three quarters the way, about 10-15 minutes, then add green beans, squash and tomatoes. Soup is finished when cranberry beans are cooked thru, total cooking time approx 25 minutes.

When serving, add a tablespoon of cooked pastini and garnish with heaping spoon of fresh pistou and croutons. Optional: zest a scant amount of lemon over the top.

Pistou

Yield: 1 quart

• Fresh basil
• 6 bunches basil, leaves pulled (loosely packed gallon/4 quarts)
• 2 ¼ cups olive oil
• 1 ¼ cups grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup chopped garlic
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Pinch of salt
• Lemon zest (optional)

Add into a food processor the olive oil, garlic, salt and lemon juice and pulse till smooth. Add cheese and basil leaves and pulse just until the mixture is ground into a coarse puree. Over processing the basil will cause it to turn dark.

Bon Appétit!