Soupe au Pistou — Provençal Vegetable Soup with Basil Paste

Soupe au pistou is the great summer vegetable soup of Provence — a vibrant, garden-fresh potage of white beans, green beans, courgettes, tomatoes, and pasta, served with a pungent basil and garlic paste (pistou) stirred in at the table. This soup is the French cousin of Italian minestrone, its Provençal identity defined entirely by the pistou — the word deriving from the same root as pesto (pestare, to pound) — which transforms a simple vegetable soup into something extraordinary when stirred through at the last moment. The soup itself requires summer-ripe vegetables: soak 200g of dried white beans (coco or borlotti) overnight and simmer until nearly tender, about 45 minutes. In a separate large pot, sweat diced onion, leek, and celery in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add 2 litres of water (not stock — the purity of the vegetables should speak), the drained beans with their cooking liquid, diced carrots, and diced potatoes. Simmer 15 minutes. Add diced courgettes, cut green beans, diced tomatoes (peeled and seeded), and small pasta (coquillettes, macaroni, or broken spaghetti). Cook a further 10-15 minutes until the pasta is al dente and the vegetables are tender but retain their identity. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, prepare the pistou: pound 3 large garlic cloves with coarse salt in a mortar until smooth. Add 60g of fresh basil leaves and pound to a vivid green paste. Work in 80g of finely grated Parmesan and drizzle in 100ml of best Provençal olive oil in a thin stream, pounding continuously, until you have a thick, aromatic paste that perfumes the entire kitchen. Do not use a blender — the mortar produces a texture and flavour release that machinery cannot replicate. Serve the soup in wide bowls with a generous tablespoon of pistou in each, to be stirred through by the diner. The heat of the soup releases the basil's volatile oils in a heady rush. Offer extra pistou and grated Parmesan at the table. This is high summer in a bowl — no meat, no stock, just vegetables at their peak and the transformative power of basil, garlic, and olive oil.