Soupe au pistou — Provençal bean and pistou soup
Soupe au pistou is a Provençal vegetable-and-bean soup whose defining finish is pistou: basil, garlic and olive oil worked into a fresh paste, here completed with Parmesan. It is not simply minestrone with a spoonful of commercial pesto. The beans, seasonal vegetables and pasta form the body of the soup; the pistou changes its aroma at the very end.
The long schedule belongs to the beans, not to every vegetable. Dried white coco beans soak under refrigeration, then simmer until nearly tender before the firm vegetables go in. Green beans and potatoes follow, while courgettes and tomatoes are held back until the last part of cooking. This order keeps the pot substantial without reducing every vegetable to the same texture.
Pistou should never be boiled hard after it enters the pot. Basil and garlic are crushed with olive oil, the cheese is incorporated, and the paste is stirred into the soup off the heat. The final bowl should smell clearly of fresh basil and show beans, vegetables and pasta in a thick but still spoonable broth.
