Spring is well and truly here, although, being Brisbane, perhaps it is unfair to label it such. The season calls to mind mild days, the sound of trickling meltwater, lambs frolicking…
No, this is Brisbane. September is a time for hailstorms, dive-bombing magpie attacks and a return to heat and humidity. The three-month Cold season is over; the nine month Hot has begun.
On the bright side, the herb garden is beginning to recover from the last few months of cold (and neglect). I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to involve most of it in this brilliant green, tasty vegetable soup. Soupe au pistou is something I’d wanted to cook for years, but had never got around to.  It turns out it’s ridiculously easy. It’s basically a garlicky, herby Provençal summer soup. Pistou is the Provençal version of pesto.
Soupe au pistou. Serves four.
Use any summer vegetables you feel like. The following list is my suggestion; alter quantities as you see fit.
For the soup:
- 1 ½ cups mixed, dried beans, or a 400g tin of mixed beans.
- 1L chicken stock (or faux chicken stock, if you’re vegetarian/veganly inclined)
- a sprig of rosemary
- a few small potatoes
- a carrot
- a large handful of green French beans, sugar-snap peas or snake beans
- 2 courgettes
- half a small head of broccoli
- bread, to serve
For the pistou:
- 80ml good quality extra-virgin olive oil
- a few handfuls each of fresh basil, continental parsley and chives
- 4-5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Soak the dried beans overnight, or at least for a few hours before you begin cooking. Drain and rinse. Add stock, rosemary and dried beans to a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour or so, until the beans are almost tender. Chop the vegetables into rough 2- or 3cm cubes. When the beans have softened in the stock, add potato and carrot and continue to simmer.
Prepare the pistou by washing and plucking the herbs, and blending in a food processor with the olive oil and garlic until they form a smooth, bright green puree.
By now, the potato and carrot should be just about soft enough to eat, so add the remaining vegetables. Continue to cook over a medium flame until the fresh vegetables are al dente – probably around four or five minutes. Remove from heat, stir through pistou and serve with warm, crusty bread.
