Provencal Vegetable Soup with Garlic, Basil and Herbs

Sometimes nothing but soup will do. A nice, simple soup. Nothing too heavy. In this case, that meant no meat. I rarely go meatless on anything.....but I knew my youngest daughter would thoroughly enjoy it.

I found the recipe for this amazingly delicious bowl of vegetable goodness in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She explains that early summer in the Mediterraneans is the season for Soupe Au Pistou. Pistou is a Provincal pesto, made with garlic, basil, tomato, cheese and olive oil. It's added to the soup just before serving and provides a fabulous flavor. Think about it...all those herbs...freshly added at the last minute which means they are still bursting with flavor because they haven't been cooked away. The herbs aren't shuffled off into the background in this soup. They're aren't necessarily center stage either. What they do is effectively lift the fresh vegetables, supporting them in a way that lets you appreciate every simple ingredient that has come together in your bowl.

With all that said....this soup is best served and enjoyed immediately. It is at it's peak the day you cook it. It's still good as leftovers but it will no longer contain that "wow" factor.

Also, I recommend a good french baguette to go with your soup.

These are a couple of loafs I made using the master recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ABin5, its a great book on no-knead bread.

Another note about this soup...use what ever fresh veggies you have on hand, or use frozen. For the beans, use your favorite. Don't stress. It's just soup.

Provencial Vegetable Soup with Garlic, Basil and Herbs
Printable Version

3 quarts water
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced onion or the white parts of leeks
1 TB salt
2 cups white beans, cooked or canned
2 cups green beans, frozen veggies or what ever you have on hand (I had broccoli and cauliflower)
1/3 cup vermicelli (or broken speghetti. I used orzo which absorbed a lot of the broth)
1 slice stale bread, crumbled into crumbs (or use about 1/4 cup bread crumbs)
1/8 pepper
Pinch of saffron
4 garlic cloves, mashed
6 TB tomato puree (I used tomato sauce)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (or 1 1/2 TB dried basil)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

In a large pot slowly boil the carrots, potatoes, onions (or leeks) and salt for 40 minutes. Add more salt if necessary.

Add the green beans (or what ever fresh vegetable you're using) beans, the vermicelli, bread crumbs, pepper and saffron. Boil slowly for about 15 minute or until your vegetable is just cooked through. Correct seasoning again if necessary.

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the pistou as follows: in a bowl blend the garlic, tomato puree, basil and cheese. Drop by drop, mix in the olive oil. When the soup is ready to serve, add a cup of the soup to the pistou and blend. Then pour this mixture into your soup. Serve with bread.