Pistou Soup

Photo: Rosemary Mullally

Ingredients

1 Onion, (finely chopped)

1 Clove garlic, (finely chopped)

1 can Tomatoes, (chopped)

2 Potatoes, (diced)

2 Carrots, (sliced)

2 Leeks, (sliced)

1 pint Vegetable stock

1 can Haricot beans, (drained & rinsed)

1 Courgette, (diced)

50 grams French beans

A handful of spinach leaves, (optional)

2 Cloves garlic

A pinch of rock salt

1 bn Basil leaves

Preparation

Sweat the onions and garlic in some oil in a pan. Add in the tomatoes and allow them all to sweat away for 2 mins. Next add to the pan the vegetables and the stock. Let this all cook out for 15 mins.

Meanwhile in a mortar and pestle, the pistou can be made. Add to the mortar the garlic and the salt. The salt acts as an abrasive and helps the crushing up of the garlic and basil leaves. Once the garlic has been crushed, add in the basil leaves and crush them up into a pulp.

Dribble some olive oil in the mortar and continue to grind up the garlic and basil until with the oil a paste is formed. Add some more oil if the pistou is too dry.

After the ingredients in the pan have cooked out for 15 mins, add in the haricot beans, courgettes, French beans and spinach. Let these vegetables cook for about 2-3 mins and then the soup is ready to be served with the pistou on top.