A delightfully versatile soup! You can serve it with sandwiches for lunch, as the first course for a dinner party, or with a hearty bread as the star of a Meatless Monday dinner. I particularly like it with Savory Fougasse.
The Homemade Vegetable Broth creates a flavorful base, far tastier than anything you can buy canned, and cooking the beans in the vegetable broth deepens the flavor of the soup. Using fresh vegetables keeps the flavor bright, a nice change from canned vegetable soups. If you prefer, you can substitute one cup of canned beans for the dried, although that will alter the nutrition information.
You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.
“Let me tell you, the French know how to throw a party!” — The Doctor
Ingredients:
½ cup dried white beans
2 cups Homemade Vegetable Broth
1 small sprig fresh thyme
1 small sprig fresh parsley
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
6 oz baby potatoes (I used purple just for fun, but I think red hold up better.)
1 carrot
½ cup green beans (Romano, if you can find them)
1 small zucchini
½ cup pasta
2 cups water
1 Tbsp pistou (may substitute Basil-Walnut Pesto)
grated fresh parmesan
Preparation:
1.) Sort and rinse the dried beans. Put them in a pot, add enough water to cover them by a couple of inches, and leave to soak. Do this the night before if you don’t know how fresh the beans are (from the grocery store), or in the morning if you know they aren’t old (from a local source or Rancho Gordo).
2.) When the beans are done soaking, drain the water. Return the beans to the pot, along with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, then decrease to a steady simmer. Cook another 45 minutes or more, until beans are tender but still firm.
3.) While the beans are cooking, lay a piece of cheesecloth on a flat surface. Add the herbs and peppercorns, gather the edges of the cheesecloth, and fasten with twine. Add to the pot.
4.) Chop the potatoes and veggies into one-inch pieces.
5.) When the beans are just tender, add the two cups of water and bring the pot back to a boil. Add the potatoes, beans, carrots, and pasta. After five minutes, add the zucchini. Cook another five minutes.
6.) Fish out & discard the herb & peppercorn packet. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, sprinkle with a little cheese, and add a dollop of pistou. Serve immediately.
Provençal Soupe au Pistou
Ingredients
½ cup dried white beans
2 cups Homemade Vegetable Broth
1 small sprig fresh thyme
1 small sprig fresh parsley
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
6 oz baby potatoes
1 carrot
½ cup green beans (Romano, if you can find them)
1 small zucchini
½ cup pasta
2 cups water
1 Tbsp pistou (may substitute Pesto)
grated fresh parmesan
Directions
1.) Sort and rinse the dried beans. Put them in a pot, add enough water to cover them by a couple of inches, and leave to soak. Do this the night before if you don’t know how fresh the beans are (from the grocery store), or in the morning if you know they aren’t old (from a local source or Rancho Gordo).
2.) When the beans are done soaking, drain the water. Return the beans to the pot, along with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, then decrease to a steady simmer. Cook another 45 minutes or more, until beans are tender but still firm.
3.) While the beans are cooking, lay a piece of cheesecloth on a flat surface. Add the herbs and peppercorns, gather the edges of the cheesecloth, and fasten with twine. Add to the pot.
4.) Chop the potatoes and veggies into one-inch pieces.
5.) When the beans are just tender, add the two cups of water and bring the pot back to a boil. Add the potatoes, beans, carrots, and pasta. After five minutes, add the zucchini. Cook another five minutes.
6.) Ladle soup into individual bowls, sprinkle with a little cheese, and add a dollop of pistou. Serve immediately.
julienne.red 
2 Comments Add yours