Pasta au pistou is a classic dish from the Provence region of France, and it's a delicious and flavorful way to enjoy pasta. The key to this dish is the pistou sauce, which is a vibrant green sauce made from basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. It's a versatile sauce that can be used on pasta, as a marinade for chicken or fish, or as a dip for vegetables. In this article, we'll explore some of the best recipes for pasta au pistou, so you can make this delicious dish at home.
Let's cook with our recipes!
PROVENçAL VEGETABLE SOUP (SOUPE AU PISTOU)
Provided by Ruth Cousineau
Categories Soup/Stew Cheese Pasta Potato Soy Vegetarian Quick & Easy Dinner Lunch Green Bean Boil Gourmet Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free No Sugar Added Kosher
Yield Makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Make soup:
- Cook leek, celery, carrot, garlic, and thyme sprig in oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 5-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables brown and stick to bottom of pot, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add potatoes and chard stems with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits.
- Stir in edamame, zucchini, green beans, pasta, chard leaves, and 1/4 tsp salt and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard thyme sprig.
- Meanwhile make pistou:
- Heat a dry small skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat until hot, then char tomato on all sides. Core tomato, then purée with basil, parsley, and garlic in a food processor. Add oil and cheese and blend well.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in half of pistou and salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup with remaining pistou.
SOUPE AU PISTOU
Perhaps Provence's answer to minestrone, this seasonal vegetable soup - enriched with a simplified basil pesto (no pine nuts) - was inspired by the white beans, canned tomatoes and soup pasta languishing in my pantry, as well as the basil in my garden and the early summer vegetables at the local farmers' market. The ingredient list is long, but the labor involved in making this soup is minimal. It tastes best if you make it through step 2 a day ahead.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, editors' pick, soups and stews, main course
Time 2h30m
Yield Serves: Six to eight
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Drain the white beans and combine with 2 quarts water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then add half the onion, half the garlic and the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and add the remaining chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the leeks and remaining garlic. Stir together for a few minutes, and add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Stir this mixture into the soup pot, add all of the remaining vegetables except the green beans, and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- While the soup is simmering, blanch the green beans for five minutes in salted boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
- To make the pistou, mash the garlic with a generous pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Remove it and set aside. Grind the basil to a paste in the mortar, a handful at a time, then add the garlic back in and mix together well. Work in the olive oil a tablespoon at a time, then stir in the cheese.
- Add the pasta to the simmering soup about 10 minutes before serving, and cook until cooked al dente. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir the blanched green beans into the soup and heat through. Serve, adding a spoonful of pesto to each bowl for guests to stir in. Pass additional Parmesan for sprinkling.
THE MINIMALIST'S SOUPE AU PISTOU
One of my favorite dishes to make with fresh basil is soupe au pistou, the Provençal creation that combines legumes, vegetables and a strong but pared-down version of pesto (no more than basil, garlic and oil) to produce a gutsy, hearty soup. Though most traditionally done in late summer - you want good, ripe tomatoes for this, and preferably fresh beans, like cranberry - I make a pot of this as soon as the basil hits the market. Sometimes I make it in winter, just to remind myself that summer's coming. The recipe is a series of suggestions and it is eminently flexible. The zucchini and tomatoes, though not absolutely essential, are Provençal classics, but you can use whatever vegetables you can find as long as you finish the thing with basil.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories pastas, project, soups and stews, appetizer, main course
Time 45m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Put beans, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 60 minutes (dried beans will take longer to cook than fresh), adding a little more water if necessary. When beans are just about tender, add zucchini and tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, combine garlic, basil and olive oil in a food processor (or a mortar and pestle) until pasty; use a little more oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
- About 10 minutes before serving, add pasta to soup and cook until tender but not mushy; season again. Serve soup, passing pistou and Parmesan at the table.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 411, UnsaturatedFat 16 grams, Carbohydrate 54 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 1107 milligrams, Sugar 9 grams
SOUPE AU PISTOU
Steps:
- 1. Place the green beans, carrot and potatoes in a large saucepan. Add 8 cups water and 2 teaspoons sea salt, bring to a boil and cook, covered, until the carrots are nearly tender through, a bout 12 minutes. Add the zucchini, the fresh beans (if using), and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cooked dry beans (if using), and let cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes, then add the angel hair pasta and cook until it is al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat.
- 2. While the soup is cooking prepared the pistou. Crush the garlic cloves with the salt in a mortar and pestle until they are a rough paste. Add the basil leaves and crush them with the mortar and pestle until they mix with the garlic into a rough paste. Slowly add the oil to the basil and garlic until you have a thick, deep green sauce.
- 3. To serve, divide the soup among six warmed shallow soup bowls. Serve the soup with the pistou and the cheese alongside.
PROVENCAL PASTA WITH BASIL AND ANCHOVY
This lovely dish -- Pates au Pistou a l'Anchois -- is by way of Richard Olney in "Lulu's Provencal Kitchen." It is a not uncommon way to serve pasta in the south of France where, as here in the States, most dried pasta is imported from Italy.
Provided by Chef Kate
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 25m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a full boil and add the pastam cooking tll al dente (for penne, about 12 minutes).
- On a cutting board, sprinkle the crushed garlic cloves with the salt and pepper.
- Using the back of a fork, mash the garlic into a paste.
- Add the anchovies and keep mashing.
- Scrape the paste into a mortar, add the basil, and begin pounding with a wooden pestle until the mixture resembles a puree.
- Now, add the oil slowly, pounding all the while with your pestle.
- Note: You can do this in a blender or food processor, but purists (like myself) will tell you that the pistou will not taste or look the same if the basil is chopped with a blade.
- When your pasta is ready, place your serving bowl (heat-proof)in the sink.
- Drain your pasta, allowing the pasta water to warm your serving bowl.
- Place the pasta in the bowl, add the pistou and toss well.
- Serve accompanied by freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 515.4, Fat 26, SaturatedFat 3.7, Cholesterol 6.8, Sodium 395.2, Carbohydrate 57.6, Fiber 2.8, Sugar 1.4, Protein 12.5
ORLANDO BLOOM'S PASTA AU PISTOU
Posted for Mom2Rose who's a big Orlando Bloom fan. The following blurb came with the recipe: "My role in the Pirates of the Caribbean series has inadvertently made me something of a connoisseur of Caribbean cuisine - and Dominica had the most impact on me. We found this amazing tree-house restaurant called Indigo. It's off the beaten path, and run by Marie Frederick and her husband Clem, who serve this delicious pasta recipe." NOTE: The original recipe called for "one tin of tomatoes, drained" but the Zaar recipe software won't accept that vague description. So, I guesstimated a 15oz can of tomatoes. Mom2Rose will be the expert on the actual can size because she's actually made this recipe! :)
Provided by Impera_Magna
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 30m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Cook the pasta according to directions until al dente, then drain and rinse. Pour the pasta back into the saucepan, and replace the lid to keep warm.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the parsley, basil, garlic, Parmesan, salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Process to a smooth paste.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes or until soft.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and season, adding the brown sugar and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the herb mixture. Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve immediately.
Tips:
- Fresh ingredients: Use the freshest ingredients available for the best flavor. Fresh basil and tomatoes are essential for a flavorful pistou and ratatouille.
- Use a mortar and pestle: A mortar and pestle is the traditional way to make pistou. This method helps to release the full flavor of the basil.
- Don't overcook the vegetables: Ratatouille is a dish that is best when the vegetables are cooked through but still retain their shape and texture. Overcooked vegetables will become mushy and lose their flavor.
- Serve immediately: Both pistou and ratatouille are best served immediately after they are made. This ensures that the flavors are at their peak.
Conclusion:
Ratatouille and pistou are two classic French dishes that are both delicious and versatile. Ratatouille is a hearty and flavorful stew that can be served as a main course or a side dish. Pistou is a vibrant and aromatic sauce that can be used to dress pasta, vegetables, or meat. Whether you are looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal or a special occasion dish, ratatouille and pistou are sure to please.
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