Pitsou Soup

Pitsou Soup

The French and Italians fight over who is responsible for this recipe: the name ‘pistou’ is very similar to the Italian word ‘pesto’ but the French Provencal word ‘pistou’ means a paste made with garlic and basil. The latter serves as the foundation of this delicious soup, while a sprinkling of pine nuts and Pecorino – plus a drizzle with olive oil – round the dish off perfectly.
Serves
Serves 2 - 4
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
50 Minutes
Ingredients
For the soup's base:
50ml of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1 white onion, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
800g of vegetable stock
100g of pasta, gnocchetti
1 courgette, diced
200g of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 large handful of kale
200g of frozen peas
1 tin of borlotti beans
for the pistou
200g of basil
200g of spinach
3 cloves of garlic
100ml of olive oil
100g of pecorino
25g of pine nuts, toasted
Method
Step 1

Blanch the basil and spinach in a large pan of boiling water, refresh under cold running water.

Step 2

Blend in a jug with the garlic, Pecorino and pine nuts. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Keep to one side.

Step 3

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based saucepan and sweat the onion with the salt until translucent. Do not colour. Add the celery and continue to sweat for
5 more minutes.

Step 4

Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5 more minutes, then add the courgette, kale, peas and borlotti beans.

Step 5

Cook for 2 more minutes then add the tomatoes and Pistou. Mix well.

Step 6

Serve in bowls topped with the pine nuts and Pecorino. Drizzle with olive oil to finish.

Recipe courtesy of Luke Selby. Visit Selbys.co

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