Soupe au Pistou (Provençal Vegetable Soup with Basil Sauce)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and carrots for 8 minutes until the onion softens.
2. Add the potatoes, zucchini, green beans and tomatoes with the salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
3. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
4. Stir in the white beans and the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Add water if the soup is too thick.
5. While it cooks, make the pistou. Pound the garlic and salt in a mortar to a paste, crush in the basil leaves in batches, then work in the olive oil and cheese. Or blend briefly in a small food processor.
6. Remove the bay leaf and taste the soup for seasoning.
7. Ladle into bowls and put a spoonful of pistou on each. Stir it in at the table and pass extra cheese.

Tips

• Stir the pistou in off the heat. Cooking it dulls the fresh basil flavor and the green color.
• Use whatever summer vegetables you have. Fresh shelled beans such as cannellini or borlotti are traditional and can replace canned ones, but simmer them for 40 minutes first.