PROVENÇAL VEGETABLE SOUP (SOUPE AU PISTOU)

Provençal Vegetable Soup (Soupe au Pistou)… Ooooh so fancy. It’s pretty and yep, it’s French, but it’s really simple. I love making it because you can throw any veggies in. It also reminds me of our trip a couple years ago to France. It was in October and there was one day that it rained in Paris. After walking 10 miles the day before, we slept in and just hanging out in our rental apartment in Le Marais, sitting in our little kitchen, enjoying some coffee and pastries we bought from a local pastry shop. Looking out to the courtyard through the windows… I grabbed my phone and took a picture. A shot like this on vaca is called romantic, but back home…creepy neighbor. ha ha ha

Back to Provençal Vegetable Soup (Soupe au Pistou). Pistou is similar to Italian’s pesto. I made mine like Ina Garten, it has tomato paste in it. A dollop of it into the soup before serving will add great flavor to the soup, it’s like adding those little strappy shoes to a little black dress.  I have different versions of this soup. In spring/summer, I love to add zucchini and summer squash. In fall/winter, I love to add butternut squash and potatoes.

If you like butternut squash, here are other recipes that I hope you give them a try as well.

Chicken with Butternut Squash and Quinoa Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

The special ingredient in this soup is saffron. To me, saffron is the queen of all spices. Fun facts about saffron: saffron is the dried yellow stigmas from a small purple crocus flower. Each flower provides only three stigmas, which must be carefully hand-picked and then dried, an extremely labor-intensive process. It takes 225,000 stigmas to make one pound of saffron, making saffron the most expensive spice in the world. You can omit it if you can’t find it but let me tell you, it makes the soup so special, like adding a pair of diamond earrings to that little black dress and strappy shoes.

Another ingredient that you may think is strange is cheese rinds. I’ve saved a bunch of hard cheese rinds like Parmesan and Romano in the freezer and I like using them in soups. It adds a little bit of salty/nuttiness to the soup. Totally optional though, if you don’t have them, don’t worry.

Let’s cook some food!

First, let’s start with prepping butternut squash. It’s a pain but I found a trick. Pierce it with a fork, then microwave it for 3-4 minutes. It will become softer and easy to peel.

Then, peel it with a vegetable peeler.

Cut in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Then, cut into 1-inch pieces. Set aside with carrots, onion and potatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat until translucent.

Add potatoes, carrots, butternut squash.

Add a large pinch of salt and pepper.

Saute for another 5 minutes.

Add saffron.

And chicken broth or stock.

Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer.

Add cheese rinds into the group (optional).

Let the soup simmer (uncovered) about 20-30 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

In the meantime, make the pistou.

Place the garlic, tomato paste, basil and Parmesan in the food processor.

Blend until combined.

Set aside until the soup is ready.

Once the soup is ready, take out the cheese rinds. Taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper.

To serve, add a dollop of pistou into the hot soup.

Once you stir it, it will change the color from a warm golden to a golden red with little sprigs of green from the basil. I think it’s very pretty. Enjoy!

I hope you give this Provençal Vegetable Soup (Soupe au Pistou) a try. The recipe card is below and feel free to share your comments in the comment box below.