Provencal Summer Vegetable Soup with Basil Pistou

What you need

• 3 tbsp olive oil, for the soup
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 3 ripe tomatoes, about 400 g (14 oz), chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 leaf bay leaf
• 400 g (14 oz) waxy potatoes, peeled, cut in 1.5 cm (1/2 in) cubes
• 1.8 l (7 1/2 cups) water
• 200 g (7 oz) green beans, cut in 2-3 cm (1 in) pieces
• 1 can (14 oz) white beans, cannellini, 400 g, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium zucchini, about 350 g, cut in 1 cm (1/2 in) half-moons
• 80 g (3 oz) small pasta, broken spaghetti or small elbows
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• 60 g (2 packed cups) fresh basil leaves, for the pistou
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil, for the pistou
• 40 g (1/2 cup) Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra for serving; Gruyere also works and some cooks leave it out

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Cook the onion and carrots for 8 min, stirring, until soft but not colored.

2. 2

   Add the tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 5 min, until the tomatoes collapse into a thick base.

3. 3

   Add the potatoes, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 10 min.

4. 4

   Add the green beans and white beans and simmer for 10 min.

5. 5

   Stir in the zucchini and pasta. Simmer for 8-10 min, until the pasta and potatoes are tender.

6. 6

   Fish out the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

7. 7

   While the soup cooks, make the pistou. Pound the garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar until smooth. Add the basil a handful at a time and pound to a green paste.

8. 8

   Work in the Parmigiano, then drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil, stirring steadily, until the pistou is thick and spoonable. A small food processor on low speed also works.

9. 9

   Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Stir 1 heaped tbsp of pistou into each bowl just before eating, since boiling dulls the basil. Pass extra Parmigiano at the table.

Imported from everyday-delicious.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.