Mélanie Masarin's Soupe Au Pistou
The Ghia founder shares a recipe from her debut cookbook, "Riviera"
This is the Riviera’s version of a minestrone—a celebration of summer vegetables and herbs that somehow manages to be both light and satisfying. While some versions start with dried beans that need overnight soaking, I prefer small red beans and white coco beans, which cook right alongside the vegetables. The real magic happens when you swirl in the pistou at the end—watch it create bright green rivulets through the golden broth.
—Mélanie Masarin
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Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 yellow onions, cut into small dice
2 carrots, cut into small dice
2 zucchini, cut into small dice
½ pound (225 grams) haricots verts, trimmed
½ cup (100 grams) dried small red beans
½ cup (100 grams) dried white coco beans
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 small potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
1 cup (100 grams) elbow pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Pistou (recipe below), for serving
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Method
In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, carrots, zucchini, and haricots verts and let the vegetables get acquainted—cook until they start to soften and become fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add both types of dried beans, season with the salt and a generous amount of pepper, and add water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the beans are just tender.
Add the diced potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, until they pierce easily with a fork, then add the pasta and cook until it is al dente, about 10 minutes.
Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan and generous spoonful of pistou swirled into each bowl—and extra for passing at the table, because someone always wants more.
Pistou
Pistou is the French version of Italian pesto. Both start with crushed basil and garlic, but pistou traditionally skips the pine nuts, letting the basil shine more brightly. Every summer of my childhood, I’d watch my grandmother make it, sitting in her garden with a mortar and pestle, crushing basil leaves into a fragrant paste. While a food processor makes quick work of it, doing it by hand lets the basil release its oils more slowly, creating deeper, more complex flavors. But honestly, even blended pistou is leagues better than no pistou at all.
Makes 1 cup
1 large garlic clove
¼ cup pine nuts
Pinch of kosher salt
2 cups (40 grams) fresh basil leaves
¼ cup (60 milliliters) your best olive oil, plus more as needed for storage
1½ ounce (45 grams) Parmesan
Method
If using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, pine nuts, and salt into a smooth paste. Roughly chop the basil leaves and pound them into the garlic paste until dark green and smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while pounding. Grate the Parmesan and incorporate to finish.
If using a food processor, pulse the garlic, salt, and basil until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Add the Parmesan and pulse to combine. Fresh pistou will keep for several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator if fully submerged in olive oil.
From Riviera: Recipes from the Coast of France and Italy by Mélanie Masarin. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
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