Soupe au Pistou aka Bean Soup with Pesto

Let's get this blog rolling! Tonight I tried out and adjusted a recipe I found in the "Food Adventures" cookbook written by Elisabeth Luard and Frances Boswell. This is a great book full of recipes aimed at introducing your young child (and yourself!) to foods from around the world. Soupe au pistou is a bean soup from Provence. Sam, the hubby, really enjoyed the heartiness of the soup and the rich flavor. Ruby, the babes, chowed down, finished her portion, and demanded seconds! I was happy that I got to use some basil from my plant (picked it up for $3 at Sprouts, a gift that keeps giving!).



It's a great Vegan recipe with lots of legumes, veggies, and did I mention flavor? I recommend serving it with some hot homemade whole wheat bread (if it was baked with honey, it is not safe for babies under the age of 12 months due to botulism concerns).

Soup Ingredients:

1 cup of dried white navy beans
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 shallots (green onions), finely chopped
4 peppercorns, crushed
3 whole garlic cloves
2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

Pistou (Pesto) Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, skinned and chopped
4-5 heaping tablespoons of fresh basil leaves
1 slice of old bread
dash of salt
2/3 cup olive oil

I recommend you start the night before by soaking your navy beans to make them easy the day of. However, if you're like me, often you forget and have to do the quick boil method. For the quick boil method, add about 4 cups of water to a good sized pot and bring it to a boil. Slowly add in the beans so as not to interrupt the boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the beans. If you soaked, good for you! Start here: Put your navy beans into a pot with the celery, shallots, peppercorns, and garlic. Cover them generously with water, and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour. Feel free to add more water if necessary. Check your beans. If they are still hard, cook longer in 10 minute intervals. Once your beans are soft, add in the chopped potatoes and gently boil for 30 minutes. When finished, add salt and pepper to taste, or not!



When the soup is almost finished, start working on the pesto. Add the garlic, basil, bread, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend to a puree, then slooowwwly add the oil, as if your were making mayonnaise. The pesto should be thick when finished, but if it's a little loose, no worries! You're adding it to a soup ;)
Serve the soup in bowls with the pesto in it's own bowl so that everyone can add in however much they desire. Enjoy!



 Ruby's before and after shots :)