Springtime Soup au Pistou
All the flavors of springtime in a bowl, including a perfect Parisian Pistou. Fresh and comforting, serve with a crusty baguette, mais oui. A simple, fresh and French spring meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 small fennel bulb chopped, reserve fronds
- 5 baby gold potatoes organic
- 6 oz asparagus (aprox 15 spears) chopped, reserve tips
- 1 medium carrot halved lengthwise, sliced thin
- 8 oz Cannellini beans ½ of a 15 oz can, add more if you like
- ½ cup white wine I had Frisk Riesling on hand, worked perfectly
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
- grated jalapeno see notes
- ¼ cup Parisian Pistou or pesto
- salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven on medium low. Add shallot and salt, sauté until soft. Add fennel, potato, carrot, chopped asparagus, Herbs de Provence and another splash of olive oil, stirring for 2-3 minutes.Add wine (if using) and stir, then add 3 cups broth or water or a combination of the two. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, add asparagus tips, Cannellini beans and peas and simmer 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Grate some frozen jalapeno in for a little extra zing.Using a wooden spoon, mash some of the potatoes to create a creamy broth. Stir in Pistou. Serve in bowls garnished with chopped reserved fennel fronds, or chopped carrot tops like I did, reserved from making the pistou, or fresh tarragon, from the pistou also!Santé Springtime!
Notes
I saw a video on Instagram where you take a jalapeno, put it in a small bowl in the freezer and freeze. Anytime you feel like adding a extra zing to a recipe - perfect for pizza! - you take the jalapeno out of the freezer and using a microplane grater, grate it on whatever you like. Genius!