Soupe au pistou is the summer soup of beans, courgette and pasta that Avignon shares with all of Provence, finished with pistou pounded from basil, garlic and olive oil.
The story of Soupe au pistou
Pistou comes from the Provençal pista, to pound, and the word first meant the pestle, not the basil. Unlike Ligurian pesto it carries no pine nuts in the classic Provençal form. Jean-Baptiste Reboul's La Cuisinière provençale, first published in 1897, called the soup Genoese in origin and described it as thick, made with green beans, potatoes, tomatoes and vermicelli.
How to make Soupe au pistou
Serves: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 250g fresh white or borlotti beans, shelled (or 1 tin, drained)
- 200g green beans, cut short
- 2 courgettes, diced
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 100g short pasta or broken vermicelli
- 2 litres water
- For the pistou: 3 garlic cloves, a large bunch of basil, 6 tbsp olive oil, 50g grated hard cheese (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Simmer the shelled beans, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes in the salted water for 30 minutes.
- Add the green beans and courgettes and cook for 15 minutes more.
- Add the pasta and cook until tender, keeping the soup thick.
- Meanwhile pound the garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar, add the basil and pound to a paste, then work in the olive oil and the cheese, if using.
- Take the soup off the heat and stir the pistou in just before serving, or pass it at the table.
Editor tip. Never boil the pistou: the basil loses its flavour with heat, which is why it goes in at the very end.
The editor picks for Soupe au pistou in Avignon are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Avignon signature-dishes index or the Avignon food guide.