This is a Mediterranean peasant soup which calls for fresh basil and very fresh garlic.

SERVES 6 – 8

450 g | 1 lb dried haricot beans, soaked overnight
2 tablespoons oil (preferably olive)
225 g | 8 oz potatoes, peeled and diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
110 g | 4 oz green beans, sliced or chopped
1.7 litres | 3 pints white stock
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vermicelli or other small pasta
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt

For Pistou
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons olive oil

To Serve
grated Gruyère cheese

1. Cook the Beans in boiling water for about 1 hour until half tender.
2. Heat the oil and add the potatoes, leeks and carrots. Cover and cook over a low heat until vegetables are soft.
3. Add the half=cooked dried beans, the green beans, stock and pepper. Simmer until the haricot beans are soft (about 1 ½ hours). Add the pasta and tomatoes, season with salt and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Allow to cool a little before adding pistou.
4. Make the pistou: put the garlic and the basil in a mortar or blender and pound to paste. Add the oil drop by drop (as when making mayonnaise), mixing all the time, to form an emulsion. Just before serving, stir the pistou into a soup. Hand the cheese separately.

NOTE: Recipes for this soup vary along the Mediterranean according to local tradition and season. Courgettes, cabbage, and onions sometimes make their appearance. The Italian version of pesto, from which pistou is derived, is sometimes added to their soup, which is itself a version of Italian Minestrone.

Wine: LIGHT RED

________________________________________

Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]