Soupe au Pistou

Despite being arguably the greatest of all the summer soups, I usually don’t feel right eating it until the temperatures drop a little in the UK, so here we are. Much like its Italian counterpart, Minestrone, this dish has a very laissez-faire attitude to what goes in it. Beans and courgettes are very traditional, some people add tomato, some people carrot. A dollop of pistou (pesto without pine nuts) is a must, however. 

ingredients

serves 4

• 3 tbsp olive oil

  1 onion, chopped

  1 leek, chopped

  1 celery stick, chopped

  2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

  2 medium potatoes, chopped into 1cm cubes

  2 courgettes, chopped into 1cm cubes 

  Chicken or vegetable stock, to cover 

  150g yellow & green beans, fresh or frozen, cut into 1/3s

  100g frozen peas

  1 x 400g tin of white beans, I used butter beans, drained

  50g small pasta, I used pasta mista

  Pesto, to serve 

  Parmesan, to serve 

instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat, then fry the onion, leek, celery, garlic for 5 minutes, then add the courgette and potato and cook for a further 10 minutes until everything in the pan is tender.

Pour over the stock and bring to a simmer before adding the beans and peas. Simmer for another 10 mins or so until they’re tender. Season to taste.

Meanwhile cook your pasta, drain and divide it between bowls. Pour over the soup, top with a spoonful of pesto and a little extra Parmesan & oil, then eat.