A famous soup from the south of France. The essential ingredient is the pesto sauce, made from pine nuts, olive oil & basil. This sauce, so popular in Northern Italy, has been adapted by their neighbours in Provence into pistou, and given a creative French twist. Like all good soups, it gains extra flavour by being made a day in advance.
- Olive oil
- 1 onion
- Half a tin of tomatoes chopped
- ¾ litres water
- 250 g French green beans, cut into 2.5cm lengths
- 100 g Cannellini Beans soaked & cooked
- 1 courgette chopped
- 2 or 3 potatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks chopped celery
- 2 chopped leeks
- 75 g spaghetti broken into 5cm lengths
- 2 tbsp pesto sauce either bought or home made
In a large pan fry the onion in the olive oil until it is transparent. Add the tomatoes and the water. Season. When the water boils add all the remaining ingredients except the spaghetti and pesto. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the spaghetti and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the pesto sauce and serve.