Patricias Pistou Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare a bouquet garni: Place bay and thyme leaves in a square of cheesecloth, and tie securely with cotton twine. In a large, heavy-bottomed 10-quart stockpot, combine the olive oil, 3 halved garlic cloves, bouquet garni, and salt. Stir to coat with the oil and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the navy and cranberry beans, and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute more.
• Add leeks, carrots, onions, potatoes, and quartered garlic cloves, and cook until softened over moderate heat, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes. This will give a lovely color and rich flavor to the soup.
• Add zucchini, tomatoes, tomato paste, green beans, 3 quarts cold water, and salt to taste. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the navy and cranberry beans are tender, about 30 minutes (cooking time will vary according to the freshness of the beans). Add additional water if the soup becomes too thick.
• Add pasta, and stir frequently to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, simmering until the pasta is cooked, about 5 minutes more. Taste for seasoning. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Serve the soup very hot, passing the pistou and cheese to swirl into the soup.

Steps:

• For the pistou: Combine the oil, basil, lemongrass and chile in a mortar and pestle or food processor and crush together.
• For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onions and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the tomato puree, bay leaves, carrots, courgettes and thyme and cook until the vegetables are al dente (tender but still a little crunchy), 15 to 20 minutes. Add the boiling water and green beans and return to a boil, and then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, 10 minutes.
• Stir in the peas and white beans. Remove the sprig of thyme and the bay leaves, and then add the salt and sugar and black pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately in bowls, with a dollop of Vietnamese pistou on top of the soup.

Steps:

• By hand: Place garlic and salt in a mortar, and mash with a pestle to form a paste. Add basil, little by little, pounding and turning the pestle with a grinding motion to form a paste. Slowly add oil, drop by drop, until all the oil has been used and the paste is homogenous. Add salt to taste. Stir again before serving. In a food processor: Place garlic, salt, and basil in the bowl of a food processor, and process to a paste. Add oil, and process again. Add salt to taste. Stir again before serving.
• Transfer to a small bowl. Serve immediately. The sauce can be stored, covered and refrigerated, for 1 day, or frozen for up to 6 months. Bring to room temperature, and stir again before serving.