Soupe au Pistou (2 Versions)

White or Green Chickpeas

By Cat, June 2008 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Includes: 1. Soupe au Pistou (2 Versions)

See also: 1. Braised Spinach with Chickpeas, Spanish-Style; 2. Chickpea (Garbanzo) & Spinach Casserole; 3. Homemade Tomato Paste (For Canning, Freezing, Refrigeration); 4. Beans & Other Legumes: Soaking & Sprouting; 5. Vegetarian & Bean Menu

This is a classic dish from Provencal, the Mediterranean region of France. Made from beans and veggies, it is garnished with Pistou (the French version of Italian Pesto) right before serving. Pistou is from basil, tomato, garlic and a hard cheese, pounded in a mortar with a pestle to a paste, then added like a garnish to this nutritious soup.

I present two versions of this classic soup from different sources. The first is adapted from a vegetarian cookbook, and was my first taste of this delicious soup. The second is based on combining ingredients from two different recipes, and a different method of making the pistou.

On Ingredients

Most recipes call for white beans (cannelini or navy beans), but it can also be made with chickpeas, as in this version.

You can be quite creative with the veggies, using whatever is on-hand and in-season.  Instead of green beans, try fresh peas or snow peas. Be sure to cut the green beans or snow peas in ½” – 1” lengths. In the fall, after the zucchini is spent, try adding winter squash or pumpkin.  Young and tender brussels sprouts are another delicious addition.  Eggplant, peeled, cut into ½” dice, salted, drained, and squeezed to remove water, then lightly sautéed in olive oil adds a unique flavor.

A thin pasta like spaghetti or linguini, cut into ½” lengths is traditional, but shaped pasta can also be used (bow ties, etc.).

Soupe au Pistou, Version I

This version is adapted from The Vegetarian Feast, by Martha Rose Shulman. Serves 6 or more, and was my first taste of Soupe au Pistou. 

The stock and pistou can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator, if desired. To be strictly vegetarian, you should use a vegetarian broth, but I use homemade clear chicken stock because I need animal protein. After eating pesto one time too many in the 80s, my body no longer likes so much basil in the mix, so I chop up spinach for half the basil and it’s delicious!

This version of the pistou doesn’t include nuts but you could certainly add them. Pignoli (pine nuts) or almonds are traditional. See the second recipe for amount to use. And of course, its best if you presoak the nuts then allow them to dry in a low oven, to maximize their nutritional value, before adding to the pistou.

You can use any white bean in this soup but of course cannelini are classic. Garbanzos are also traditional and provide the best combination of amino acids. When I plan ahead, I prefer to sprout the beans over 2 – 3 days, ‘til tiny tails appear, as this cooks faster and is more nutritious.

As mentioned above, you can experiment with different veggies in the soup.

Ingredients & Equipment:

Beans

• ⅓ cup dried garbanzo or cannelini beans
• warm filtered water
• lemon juice (1 Tbsp per quart of water)

Stock

• 2 carrots
• 1 potato
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp Unrefined sea salt, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ tsp saffron threads
• 2 quarts homemade vegetable broth (or chicken stock if you are not vegetarian)

Pistou

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ to 1 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 – 4 tsp dried basil
• ½ cup Homemade Tomato Paste
• ¼ – ½ cup olive oil, to taste

Soup

• 1 small zucchini
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas or green beans cut into 1” lengths
• ½ cup broken dry spaghetti

Garnish

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese like gouda
• ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Equipment

• 3-quart saucier or saucepan
• mortar & pestle
• soup tureen (optional)

Method

Beans (start 1 – 3 days before serving soup)

1. Cover beans with warm water.  Stir in whey or lemon juice and leave in a warm place overnight (12 hours).  Check after a few hours and add more water as necessary. If desired, you can sprout the beans over 2-3 days, rinsing well twice a day after the first overnight soak.
2. Drain beans, rinse and put in saucier, with 1 – 1 1/4 cups fresh water to cover.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 – 3 hours, until done (sprouted beans will cook faster).  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Soup stock

1. Scrub and slice carrots; dice potato (unpeeled); peel garlic and leave whole
2. Add veggies, saffron, salt and pepper to stock/broth in stock pot. Bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Pistou

1. Grate Parmesan.
2. Peel and mince garlic.  Place in mortar with salt; pound to a paste.
3. Chop basil and grate Parmesan; add to mortar with tomato paste. Grind until thoroughly mixed.  Scoop into a bowl.
4. Mix in olive oil a few drops at a time to fully incorporate. Set aside.

Soup

1. While soup stock is cooking, slice zucchini and spinach. Set aside peas/green beans.
2. About 20 minutes before serving, have the stock at a gentle simmer and add the cooked beans and dry spaghetti. Stir well so pasta doesn’t stick together.
3. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, then add zucchini and spinach. Adjust seasoning.
4. When spaghetti is done and veggies are bright green, stir in the pistou.
5. Serve, garnishing with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Soupe au Pistou, Version II

This version is adapted from epicurious.com (2) and foodandwine.com (3), and serves 6.  If you are in a hurry, you can use canned and drained beans, but I highly recommend soaking and cooking them from scratch. Or sprout them until tiny tails first appear, 2 – 3 days, then cook – even more nutritious and cooks faster.

Ingredients & Equipment:

Beans

• 1 cup dried garbanzo or cannelini beans
• warm filtered water
• lemon juice (1 Tbsp per quart of water)
• 1 small onion
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf

Pistou

• 2 Tbsp pine nuts or almonds (optional)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp Unrefined sea salt
• 4 ½ cups basil, torn (2 oz) (or half basil, half spinach)
• ¼ cup chopped plum tomatoes (or 2 Tbsp homemade tomato paste)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely grated Mimolette or slightly aged Gouda (3 oz)

Soup

• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small fennel bulb
• 2 red potatoes (10 oz), halved (or more, to taste)
• 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
• 2 quarts filtered water
• 4 small zucchini (1 lb)
• ¾ lb green beans or Romano beans
• 2 – 3 ripe plum tomatoes, diced

Pasta (optional)

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup small shaped pasta (small bow ties, shells, or linguini broken into ½ inch pieces)

Equipment

• 3-quart saucier
• cast iron skillet
• mortar
• soup tureen (optional)

Method

Beans

1. Cover beans with warm water.  Stir in whey or lemon juice and leave in a warm place overnight (12 hours).  Check after a few hours and add more water as necessary.
2. Drain beans, rinse and put in saucier, with 3 cups fresh water to cover.
3. Stud small onion with 2 whole cloves and add to beans with 2 whole cloves of garlic and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 – 3 hours, until done.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pistou

1. Chop nuts, mince garlic.  Place in mortar with salt; pound to a paste.  Add basil by hands-full; grind leaves against side of the mortar until almost smooth.  Scoop into a bowl.
2. Stir in tomatoes, then gradually stir in the olive oil until it’s incorporated.
3. Stir in cheese; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Soup

1. Coarsely chop onion and mince garlic.  Core and coarsely chop the fennel.  Halve the potatoes.
2. Heat olive oil in saucier.  Add onions, garlic, fennel, potato and herbs. Stir to coat with the oil.  Cover and cook over moderately low heat until onion and fennel are softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add 2 quarts water, raise heat and bring gradually to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut zucchini and green beans into 1/2 pieces.  Add to saucier and simmer another 20 minutes.  Mash the potatoes against the sides of the saucier, to thicken the soup.
5. Dice tomatoes and add to saucier with the prepared beans (and their cooking liquid).  Continue to simmer 5 – 10 minutes.

Pasta (optional)

1. Melt butter in small cast iron skillet.  Add pasta and saute until pasta is golden brown and toasty.  Add to soup and simmer 1 minute more.  Cover saucier and remove from heat.  Let stand about 20 minutes, until pasta is tender.  Adjust seasoning.

Serving suggestions:

• Put prepared pistou into soup tureen.  Stir in a little of the liquid from the soup, until blended.  then stir in the remainder of the soup.
• Alternately, spoon soup into bowls; pass pistou to be added by tablespoonful to each bowl.
• Accompany with a salad of fresh greens, a simple vinaigrette, a hearty whole grain sourdough bread or focaccia, and plenty of fresh butter or olive oil.

References

1. The Vegetarian Feast, by Martha Rose Shulman
2. Epicurious recipe (epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SOUPE-AU-PISTOU-230161
3. Food and Wine.com (foodandwine.com/articles/frances-best-pistou)