Windows on Provence
Recipe for Soupe au Pistou
750g green beans - diced
750g shelled white beans (if using dried beans soak overnight)
750g shelled red beans (if using dried beans soak overnight)
2 potatoes, courgettes and leeks – all diced
1 stick celery - chopped
2 tomatoes - peeled and chopped
Bunch of basil
5 garlic cloves
50g each of grated parmesan and gruyere
2 glasses olive oil
250g small pasta shells
Boil all the vegetables (apart from tomatoes) in 3 litres of salted water for 1½ hours. Separately, crush the garlic cloves with the basil. Stir in the tomatoes and then pour on the olive oil in a slow trickle until you have a paste. 20 minutes before the end of cooking add the paste to the pot.
Check seasoning, and add salt and pepper as required. Bring soup to the boil, and add the pasta shells. When these are cooked, stir in the gruyere and parmesan.
Serve piping hot with crusty french bread.
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