SOUPE AU PISTOU

Recipe adapted from The Magic of Provence: Pleasures of Southern France, by Yvone Lenard

1 tbs olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 potato, diced (pick a potato with a thin skin, not a baking potato)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz can red kidney beans (or equivalent amount of dried and cooked beans)
1 15 oz can white canelli beans (or equivalent amount of dried and cooked beans)
2 quarts chicken broth (or vegetable broth), more or less as needed
Salt, pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped spinach if frozen; 1 cup spinach if fresh
1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces (fresh or frozen, not canned)
1/2 cup small elbow macaroni
1 cup basil pesto, either store-bought or homemade (see note)

Sauté the carrots, celery, leek, onion, and potato in olive oil until soft (10-15 mins). Add garlic and sauté a little more (5 mins). Add the stock and beans and stir well. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat until vegetables are softened. Add macaroni, 10 minutes before serving and bring to a boil until the pasta is cooked through. Add the spinach, and green beans, stir and let sit 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted (if fresh) and the beans are warmed through. Serve hot, dropping a spoonful of pistou (pesto) into each bowl.

Note about pesto: part of what I think makes this soup outstanding is the homemade pesto I make and freeze each summer. If you don’t happen to have homemade pesto at hand, you can use a commercial brand. My advice to you, however, is to run it through a blender or food processor first. Some commercial brands are a bit more rustic, and the larger pieces of basil will float on the surface of the soup. Breaking it down a bit helps the flavor and texture.