Pistou (Summer vegetable soup)

Ingredients

• 1 leek
• diced
• 1 medium onion
• diced (to make 1 1/2 cups with the leek)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 medium carrots
• diced (2 cups)
• 6 to 8 small new potatoes
• diced (2 cups)
• 1 medium tomato
• roughly chopped
• 1 pound fresh cranberry beans
• shelled
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh sage
• 10 cups water
• 1/2 pound string beans
• cut into short lengths
• 1 medium zucchini
• diced (2 cups)
• 1/4 pound linguine
• broken into short lengths
• 4 cloves garlic
• mashed
• 1/4 cup chopped basil
• closely packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium tomato
• peeled and seeded

Instructions

1. Over medium-low heat, gently saute the leek and onion until they are translucent and just beginning to brown.
2. Add the diced carrots, diced potatoes, chopped tomato and cranberry beans.
3. Add the sage and 8 cups water.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes or longer, until the vegetables are soft.
5. Twenty minutes before serving, add the string beans, zucchini and linguine.
6. Add more water if necessary, stir to mix the ingredients, and continue cooking.
7. While the soup finishes, make the pistou sauce.
8. Place the garlic, basil and Parmesan in the container of a food processor or blender.
9. Process or blend until the mixture is grainy.
10. Continue processing, and add the oil, slowly but steadily, until the mixture is smooth.
11. Mince the tomato pulp very finely, and drain in a fine- mesh sieve.
12. Mix together with the rest of the sauce.
13. When ready to serve, add a ladleful of hot soup to the sauce, mix well and combine the sauce and the rest of the soup.
14. Serve immediately.