vegetable soup with basil sauce recipe

Soup Au Pisto 

Preparation time    : 45 minutes 
Total cooking time : 35 minutes 
Serves : 8

Ingredients : 

For the vegetable soup we need :

3 stalks fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1 large spring of fresh rosemary

1 large spring of fresh thyme 

1 large spring of fresh marjoram

2 onions,thinly sliced 

1 leek leaf

375 g (12 oz) pumpkin,cut¨into small

  pieces 

250 g (8 oz) potato,cut into small pieces 

1 carrot,cut in half length-ways and thinly

  sliced

2 litres vegetable stock or water 

½ cup (90 g/3 oz) fresh or frozen broad

beans

½  cup (80 g/2 ¾ oz) fresh or frozen peas

2 small zucchinis (courgettes),finely

  chopped

2 ripe tomatoes,peeled and roughly 

  chopped 

½ cup (60 g/2 oz) short macaroni or shell

   pasta

Pistou :

½ cup (25 g/¾ oz) fresh basil leaves

2 large cloves garlic,crushed

⅓ cup (35 g/1 ¼ oz) grated Parmesan

⅓ cup (80 ml/2 ¾ fl oz) olive oil

Preparation :

1- Tie the parsley, rosemary, thyme and 

marjoram together with string.Heat the 

oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add

onion and leek.Cook over low heat for 

10 minutes,or until soft.

2- Add the herb bunch , bay leaf, pumpkin,

potato, carrot, 1 teaspoon salt and the 

stock.Cover and simmer 10 minutes, or

until vegetables are almost tender.

3- Add the board beans, peas, zucchini,

tomato and pasta.Cover and cook for

15 minutes,or until the vegetables are

very tender and the pasta is cooked.Add

more water if necessary. Remove the

herbs, including the bay leaf .

4- For the pistou, finely chop the basil and 

garlic in a food processor. Pour in the oil

gradually, processing until smooth. Stir in 

the Parmesan and  ½ teaspoon freshly 

ground black pepper and serve spooned 

over the soup.

Note :  The flavour of this soup improves if 

refrigerated overnight, then gently reheated.