Pistou Soup

SOUP

• 11 plum tomatoes
• 100g frozen broad beans
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
• 1 leek trimmed and diced
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 courgettes topped tailed and diced
• 2 potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 x 250g can of haricot beans drained and rinsed
• 75g dried spaghetti

• 75g french beans topped and tailed and
• cut into 4 pieces
• 100g frozen peas
• salt and black pepper
• 1 handful of basil leaves to garnish

PISTOU

• 1 plum tomato reserved from the soup see Step 1
• 60g fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves of garlic peeled
• 75g grated parmesan cheese
• 135ml olive oil

1. For the soup: score a cross in the bottom of each tomato, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 45 seconds, then drain and peel off the skin. Reserve 1 tomato for the pistou. Cut the remaining tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and chop the flesh. Blanch the broad beans for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, then refresh in cold water and peel off the skins.
2. Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and all the chopped and diced vegetables except the tomatoes and fry, without browning, for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the haricot beans, fill with enough water to cover (about
   1.2 litres) and bring to the boil.
4. Meanwhile, wrap the spaghetti in a clean tea towel and crush it on the edge of a worktop, pressing it backwards and forwards to break it into small pieces, then add these to the soup.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, bring back up to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked, adding the french beans, broad beans and peas after 10-11 minutes. (It’s best to add these towards the end of cooking in order to preserve their fresh colour.)
6. While the soup is cooking, deseed and chop the reserved skinned plum tomato, place in a blender with the remaining pistou ingredients and purée to a paste.
7. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the pistou. Season well with salt and pepper, garnish with basil leaves and serve.

We tried it today and felt:

Dd would prefer it without the courgette and with the onion chopped really small.
The Pistou could do with less garlic - it is very garlicky.
As little tomato as possible is good.