Soupe au pistou (vegetable soup with garlic and basil)
Soupe au pistou is one of those great country dishes for hot weather. You make it in the morning, let the flavors meld all day and then serve it, reheated, for supper with a salad and some bread and cheese. Voila, dinner with practically no effort. It is basically a Provençal version of the Genovese minestrone made with a wealth of late-summer vegetables — zucchini, carrots, potatoes, green beans, squash, tomatoes, fresh borlotti beans and more — with a dollop of emerald pistou stirred in at the end.
I’ve come to appreciate the difference between pesto or its Provençal equivalent, pistou, made with a heavy granite mortar and pestle. It starts with plump fresh garlic cloves pounded with salt to a paste. Then, a few leaves at a time, you grind in the basil leaves. Bruised rather than cut, the basil releases all its aroma and flavor and forms a marvelous moss-colored paste with a nubbly texture. It takes just minutes to work in two cups of leaves. Once you taste and experience the difference, you’ll never go back to the blender.
Note on the beans: Dried beans never have the finesse of freshly shelled beans, which are sometimes available in farmers markets. If fresh are unavailable, substitute one-half cup dried borlotti (cranberry) and one-half cup dried white beans. Rinse them under cold water and place them in a bowl. Cover with cold water by several inches and soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans, put them in a pot with fresh cold water and slowly bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, drain and add to the soup with the onions and other vegetables.
From the story: Poetry in motion
Soup base
In the morning, put the water and the lamb shank into an earthenware pot-au-feu or a large heavy pot. Slowly bring to a boil while skimming off the gray scum from the surface.
When it comes to a boil add the salt, cayenne, squash, fresh borlotti and white beans (or the soaked and boiled dried beans), onion, leeks, carrots, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes.
Return to a boil and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer or light boil, lid ajar, for about 30 minutes. Add the runner or string beans, zucchini and pasta and cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes. (If making ahead do not add the pasta now.)
When ready to serve, reheat the soup if made ahead, adding the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Cool, uncovered, and make the Pistou (see below). Remove the lamb shank, separate the flesh from the bone, cut the flesh into small pieces and add the pieces to the soup. If the soup seems too thick (it should be thick), add a bit of boiling water and taste for salt.
Pistou and assembly
While the soup is cooking, prepare the pistou. In a large marble mortar, pound the coarse salt, pepper, garlic and basil to a liquid paste with a wooden pestle. Add the tomato and crush, pound, and stir until well mixed, then stir in the olive oil, adding it slowly. (Makes three-fourths cup).
Remove the soup pot from the heat and stir the pistou into the soup (wash out the mortar with a ladle of soup and pour it back into the pot). The pistou can also be spooned individually into each soup bowl. Lulu pours the soup into a heated, giant antique soup tureen and serves it at the table accompanied by the grated cheeses.
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