Tomato soupe au pistou
Easy soup a variation on traditional Provencal soupe aux pistou
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg tomatoes large, ripe, peeled, cored and chopped*
- 1 large onion Finely chopped
- 1 large carrot Finely sliced
- 1 stick celery Finely sliced
- 1 litre vegetable stock fresh
- 200 g Swiss Chard or spinach, washed (optional)
- 100 g small pasta Such as conchigliette, coquillettes or ditali rigati
- 200 g Dried haricot beans Soaked overnight then simmered until soft
- sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil for frying
For the pistou:
- 10 sundried tomatoes From a jar, drained of oil
- 30g Parmesan cheese Finely grated
- 2 large garlic cloves Crushed
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- pinch salt
Instructions
To make the pistou
- Place the pistou ingredients in a blender and blitz on full power for a few seconds.
- Stir and blitz again until you have a smooth paste.
- Put the sauce to one side or store in the fridge if it’s hot in the kitchen.
To make the soup
- In a stockpot, sauté the onion, carrot and celery in the olive oil until they are soft.
- Pour in the tomatoes and fry for a further five minutes.
- Add the stock, thyme and herbs and leave to bubble for 20 minutes.
- Then throw in the pasta and simmer again for ten minutes or so until cooked through.
- Finally, stir in the cooked haricot beans and chard / spinach if using.
- Remove the thyme stalks and bay leaves, then season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the soup into individual serving dishes and top each one with a good spoonful of tomato pistou. Ah, summer in a bowl!
Notes
* To peel the tomatoes, scoop out the core with a sharp knife and cut a cross in the bottom of each fruit. Place in boiling water until the skins start to peel back. Remove and place in a bowl of cold water. The skins should now peel off easily.
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