OLS Week#12 - A Vegetable Soup with a Touch of Provence

This week I made a vegetable soup. the leeks and carrots were from Morning Glory Farm and the rest was from my own garden. I have put an asterisk next to the non local ingredients in case you want to add them. It is an adaptation of a recipe in Martha Rose Schulman's Provencal Light.

Vegetable Soup with Pistou

2 cups of greens beans broken into 1 inch pieces
2 medium sized zucchini diced
1 large onion chopped
6 large cloves of garlic minced
2 large carrots chopped
*1 celery ribs chopped
2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
*2 medium sized turnips peeled and diced
1 pound (450 gr) medium sized new potatoes diced
1 pound tomatoes ( 450 gr) skinned seeded and chopped
3 quarts (3 liters) water
A bouquet garni of thyme, parsley, bay leaf and a parmesean rind*
Salt and pepper to taste.

¼ pound ( 115 gr) macaroni, fusilli, vermicelli or broken spaghetti*

1 recipe low fat pistou (recipe follows)

Set aside ½ of the green beans and ½ of the zucchini. Combine all the ingredients (except the pistou) in a soup pot, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 1 ½ hours. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Add the reserved green beans and zucchini and the pasta. Cook 10 minutes more or until pasta is al dente.

Serve in wide soup bowls and top each with a serving of the pistou to be stirred into the soup.

You CAN make the soup in advance up to adding the beans, zucchini and pasta.

Low Fat Pistou

2 cups freshly packed basil leaves (75 gr)
¼ tsp salt
2 large garlic cloves
1 medium tomato peeled and seeded
*1 Tbsp olive oil
1 oz (30 gr) grated Parmesan

Place the basil and salt in the bowl of a food processor fixed with the steel blade and turn it on. Drop in garlic cloves and run until all is finely chopped.

Turn off the machine and scrape the leaves down the sides of the bowl. Turn on again and add the tomato and the oil. Puree until smooth. Removes and stir in Parmesan. Transfer to a covered jar and refrigerate until serving.