The simple soup my mother makes from the vegetables she grows in her own garden next to the house where I grew up in St. Viet, Carinthia, Austria, is very little different from the following traditional French recipe: just lots of good, fresh vegetables and some liquid to cook them in.
Ingredients
- 2 small leeks, white part only
- 1 large potato, peeled
- 1 small onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium zucchini
- 12 green beans
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 gallon chicken stock (or 1/2 gallon water, 4 bouillon cubes, a pinch of thyme, and 1/2 bay leaf)
- 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 4 medium garlic cloves
- 30 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cut the leeks, potato, onion, celery, zucchini, green beans, and carrots into 1/4-inch dice.
In a 6-quart stockpot, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the water. Add the vegetables and saute over medium-low heat until all the water evaporates. Do not brown the vegetables.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, put the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pulse until pureed.
Stir the puree into the cooked soup. Do not let the soup return to a boil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve the soup hot or cold from a tureen or in individual bowls.
Cook's Note: My mother uses only water, because her vegetables are peak-of-season, just-picked, and therefore full of flavor; but you can use stock if you like. Pistou, the puree of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil in this recipe, is a traditional French condiment that adds a burst of flavor just before serving.
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By foodfoodfood
Richmond, VA
on October 09, 2011
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My favorite one-pot meal! I came across this recipe a few years back, and it has been my go-to soup recipe since.
I've tried a few variations, but my favorite is adding chicken breast pieces, sauteed in bacon drippings & added about halfway through the 30-minute gentle boil, and white corn. I also like to use about 2 tablespoons of the leftover bacon/chicken drippings in place of some of the olive oil - it does up the calorie count, but it adds a really wonderful layer of flavor.
Another idea: if you have more fresh basil than you can use, try making frozen pesto cubes; you can use them to make this recipe year-round by adding 1-3 cubes to your soup & using a little less olive oil.
By amoore_790653
redondo beach, CA
on November 28, 2010
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Summer Soup! Now I know why Wolfie said you could serve it cold. Fresh ripe tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden really make the pistou sing. Everything tastes better fresh from the garden, and I'm in California, where we get strawberries in February! Made this soup in November with not so great tomatoes...can't wait for summer to make it again when my zukes and tomatoes are in season! p.s. used turkey broth and added one turkey meatball to each dish and the kids loved it as a main course, but really, in summer, the veggies will be all you need...
By burningdown_jef...
Long Beach, CA
on February 07, 2009
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I usually consume a couple bowls after I first make it... it's so flavorful!
I first ran across this soup about 4 years ago, and I've made it frequently since. Sometimes I veer off course and add extra leeks, or extra green beans, but regardless, this soup is great. I've also varied by not peeling the tomato or removing the seeds (out of laziness!... definitely stick to the recipe for the pistou and use fresh tomatoes.
I have to mention that I think it's bogus that someone would give this recipe less than 5 stars... and because leeks were expensive at the time? Well, just throw that one out and look at the rest.
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