Soupe au Pistou

I made a wonderful French soup last night — Soupe au Pistou. (Pistou is the French version of Italian pesto.) The soup requires a lot of chopping, but once that’s done, it’s no-fuss. Perfect with crusty bread, it’s similar to minestrone but not as heavy and quite fresh tasting. I’ll be making this a lot this spring and summer when our farmers’ market starts selling fresh, local produce.

Here’s the recipe:

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 red potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, diced
3 small zucchini, chopped
1 handful green beans, cut in thirds
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground back pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves)
1 bay leaf
1 (15-ounce) can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup small pasta—such as mini penne
1/2 cup basil pesto (preferably homemade)

Combine first seven ingredients (tomatoes through onion) in a large stockpot. Add water, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, covered. Add beans and peas. Cook 5 minutes. Add pasta, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, until pasta is done. Remove from heat and stir in pesto. Cover and let stand 10 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and additional pesto if desired. Serves 8 to 10.

Recipe based on Anne Willan's Soupe Au Pistou in The Country Cooking of France (Chronicle Books, 2007)