Soupe au Pistou
When I stayed at La Royante, a charming bed-and-breakfast in Aubagne just outside of Marseille, I tasted the delicious homemade jam from the fig, cherry, and apricot trees near the terrace, and enjoyed the olive oil made from the olives in the orchard. I talked with Xenia and Bernard Saltiel, the owners, and learned that Bernard is Jewish and traces his ancestry in France to about the thirteenth century, when his people became tax collectors for the king of France in Perpignan. Then they went to Narbonne, and finally to Montpellier, where a Saltiel helped found the University of Medicine. When the Jews were expelled from France, the Saltiel family moved to Greece, and lived in Crete, Macedonia, and then Thessalonika. Ever since Bernard’s grandfather returned to France in 1892, Saltiels have lived in the Marseille area. Today Bernard is a man of Provence, sniffing vegetables at the local market in Aubagne to make sure they are fresh enough for a good soupe au pistou. This soup originated in nearby Italy, most probably in Genoa. Provençal Jewish versions include a selection of dried beans as well as fresh green, wax, or fava beans, fresh basil, and an especially strong dose of garlic. Make it in the summer with perfectly ripe tomatoes. In the winter, I substitute good canned tomatoes.
Recipe information
Yield
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the dried beans in a bowl, cover with water by about 4 inches, and let sit overnight.
Step 2
The next day, drain the water off and place the beans in a pot filled with about 3 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Step 3
Add the onion, celery, potato, two of the tomatoes, one garlic clove, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 more minutes. Then add the green beans, the zucchini, and a handful of basil leaves, diced, and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the pasta shells, and cook until al dente.
Step 4
While the pasta is cooking, make the pistou. You can do this by using either a mortar and pestle, the way the Provençaux do, or a food processor equipped with the steel blade. If using a mortar, roughly chop the remaining basil leaves and put in the mortar with the remaining garlic and the last teaspoon of the salt. Grind with the pestle, and then add the remaining tomato, slowly incorporating the olive oil, and seasoning, if you like, with a twist of pepper. If using the food processor, put all the ingredients inside, and pulse until puréed with a slight chunk.
Step 5
When the soup is ready to be served, adjust the seasonings, spoon the soup into bowls, and swirl in the pistou. Sprinkle each serving with grated Parmesan cheese.
