Vegetable soup with basil and garlic
1 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 2½ | quart | Water |
| 2 | mediums | Leeks; (white and |
| ; pale-green parts | ||
| ; only), thinly | ||
| ; sliced crosswise | ||
| 1 | medium | Onion; thinly sliced |
| 2 | mediums | Carrots; halved lengthwise |
| ; and thinly sliced | ||
| ; crosswise | ||
| ¾ | pounds | Potatoes; peeled, quartered |
| ; lengthwise, and cut | ||
| ; into 1/2-inch-thick | ||
| ; slices | ||
| ¾ | pounds | Butternut or other winter squash; peeled and cut into |
| ; 1/2-inch pieces | ||
| 1 | pounds | Fresh white beans in pods; shelled, or 1 1/2 |
| ; cups drained cooked | ||
| ; white beans | ||
| Bouquet garni of 1 celery rib; 3 fresh parsley | ||
| ; sprigs, 2 fresh | ||
| ; thyme sprigs, and 1 | ||
| ; bay leaf tied | ||
| ; together with | ||
| ; kitchen string | ||
| 6 | ounces | Green beans; cut crosswise into |
| ; 1/2-inch pieces | ||
| 2 | smalls | Zucchini; (1/2 lb), cut into |
| ; 1/4-inch-thick | ||
| ; slices | ||
| 1 | cup | Elbow macaroni |
| 4 | larges | Garlic cloves |
| Generous handful fresh basil leaves; (preferably with | ||
| ; blossoms) | ||
| ¼ | teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 | cup | Freshly grated Parmesan |
| 1 | Firm-ripe medium tomato; peeled, seeded, and | |
| ; cut into chunks | ||
| 1 | 1/4 cups olive oil; up to 1 | |
| Special equipment: kitchen string | ||
Directions
FOR SOUP
FOR PISTOU
Make soup:
Bring water to a boil in a 5-quart pot and simmer leeks, onion, carrots, potatoes, squash, white beans (if using fresh), and bouquet garni 30 minutes, or until beans and squash are tender but remain intact. Add green beans, zucchini, and macaroni (and cooked white beans if using) and simmer 15 minutes, or until macaroni is tender but not falling apart.
Make pistou while soup is cooking: Pound garlic, basil, salt, and pepper to taste with a large mortar and pestle, alternating between pounding and turning with a grinding motion, until mixture forms a paste. Work in enough Parmesan to make a very stiff paste, then add about one third of tomato, pounding and grinding into the paste. Gradually work in remaining cheese and tomato with a little olive oil until mixture is a barely fluid paste. Gradually work in 1 cup oil, or enough for pistou to become a sauce. (Pistou will not be an emulsion, so it should be thoroughly mixed each time it is dished out.) Serve soup with mortar of pistou on the side, to be added to taste by each person.
Cooks' note:
• If you don't have a large mortar and pestle, finely chop basil and garlic and mash in a bowl with back of a spoon.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Gourmet November 1999
Converted by MC_Buster.
Per serving: 1289 Calories (kcal); 57g Total Fat; (38% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 179g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 741mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 7 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 14½ Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 11 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates Converted by MM_Buster v2.0n.