Recipe Tip: French Classic: Soupe au Pistou - Falstaff

Top Recipe for 5 Persons by Severin Corti. All ingredients and tips for getting it right. For this dish to live up to its legendary deliciousness, the vegetables must be super fresh.

Ingredients

• 200 g leek, cleaned, outer skin removed and cut into fine strips
• 100 g celery, top and bottom removed, cut into fine strips
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 200 g potatoes, peeled, finely diced
• 150 g augergine, peeled, finely diced
• 200 g courgette, finely diced
• salt
• pepper
• 250 g broccoli cut into small florets
• 150 g spinach or young chard, washed and chopped
• 150 g French beans, cut into 2 cm pieces, runner beans also suitable
• 400 g white beans (1 tin Borlotti or Cannelini beans)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 bunch(es) basil
• 2 clove(s) fresh garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Steps

1. Put the leek and celery in a large pan of salted boiling water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the aubergine, courgettes and potatoes, stir, season if necessary. Bring back to the boil.
3. After 10 minutes, stir in the broccoli and spinach, simmer gently for another 10 minutes, then add the runner beans and white beans.
4. Simmer again for 20 minutes until everything is cooked and has taken on a dull green-grey colour - that's how it should be!
5. For the Pistou, blend all the ingredients (garlic, basil and parmesan) to a rough texture in a blender. Add the oil to make a paste. Serve the soup with a spoon of Pistou in each bowl. The soup tastes best enjoyed lukewarm.