This soup was an experiment based on a recipe found on Epicurious.com, I ended up making some “adjustments” to fit fresh ingredients from our garden and it turned out AMAZING.  You can make it quickly for a weeknight dinner or you can dress it up and serve it for company.  SO good!

Pistou – n. A sauce made of garlic, basil, olive oil, and often Parmesan, used on pasta or in soups and stews.  [French, from Provençal, from pestar, to crush, from Old Provençal, from Late Latin pistre; see piston.]

Ingredients:

Soup

• 4 large zucchinis roughly chopped
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
• 3 tabsp of butter
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Pistou

• 1/2 of a cup of  loosely packed parsley
• 1/4 cup of basil leaves
• 1/4 cup of mint leaves
• Olive oil
• 2 tbsp of water
• Salt to taste

Process:

Heat oil and melt butter in a big pot.  Add the onion and cook it until it’s transparent and fragrant.  Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and sautee for a few minutes, then add the chicken broth.  Simmer on low for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.  Let cool a little bit and then puree using an immersion blender, or put in the blender in batches being careful not to make it explode and get all over your kitchen if it’s too hot.  Return to pot and keep warm.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.

This is a slight variation from traditional Provençal Pistou, but it really kicks up the flavor of the recipe.

Make the Pistou:  In a food processor pulse all the herbs and the salt until chopped, then add the water and pour the olive oil until it comes together (about 1/4 cup).

Ladle the soup in bowls and add a tablespoon of the pistou in the middle.

Note:

If you want to make the soup look more elegant, you can coat a few zucchini blossoms with seasoned flour and deep fry until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Toast a couple slices of whole wheat bread and using a cookie cutter cut some croutons out.  Place a zucchini blossom and a crouton next to the pistou in the soup.  You will really impress guests!