Author Notes
Sometimes in a vegetable soup, especially in a soupe au pistou, there can be too much going on, with so many competing flavors, colors and shapes. I've tried to keep the flavors of this soup unified and and delicate against the more robust and assertive flavor of the pistou. It has a light brothy base, with pale green onions and other vegetables cut to a medium dice, which are in contrast to the minced herbs of the deep green pistou. - SallyCan You could add some cooked white beans (and maybe skip the potatoes) if you like, and leeks would be good too. In the summertime, I'd replace the peas with fresh pole beans. A few years ago, my friend, Gabriella, who is from Romania, brought me a package of a dried herb labeled Leustean, and wondered if I could identify it for her. She wanted to grow it in her garden so that she could have it fresh for her soup. Leustean is what we call lovage, and for this soup I've created a lovage pistou, so in a way this soup is inspired by Gabriella. —SallyCan
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe was a joy to read and cook and the soup is true to its name. There really are many shades of green going on here, and the flavor of the perfectly cooked vegetables is wonderful. I love how all the vegetables retain their individual character, which is definitely what SallyCan intended. The unusual pesto adds a lovely touch. Highly recommended. - WinnieAb —The Editors
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Ingredients
- Shades of Green Soup
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2 tablespoons
canola oil
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2 tablespoons
butter
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2
medium onions, 1/2 inch dice (about 1 cup)
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2
large shallots, quartered lengthwise and then sliced at a 1/2 inch
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5 or 6
spring or green onions, including green stems, 1/2 inch slice (about 1/2 cup)
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5 ribs
celery, cut in half lengthwise and sliced at 1/2 inch (about 2 cups)
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1
small carrot, sliced at 1/4 inch (about 1/2 cup). Not too much, just enough to add some contrast.
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1/2
fennel bulb, cut to 1/2 inch dice (about 1 cup)
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1 or 2
medium white potatoes, peeled and cut to 1/2 inch dice (about 1 cup)
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1 cup
spring or sugar snap peas, shelled (for sugar snaps just slice any small pods 1/2 inch, and include the shell)
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2 quarts
light chicken or vegetable broth, or water*
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1 cup
Savoy cabbage, sliced thin and then across at 1/2 inch
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Salt and Pepper
- Pistou de Lovage
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2 cups
lovage leaves, loosely packed
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1 cup
parsley, flat leaf or curly, or a mix of the two
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10 sprigs
chive leaves (will be about 2 tablespoons chopped)
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2 sprigs
oregano
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5
cloves garlic, unpeeled
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1/3 cup
olive oil
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1 - 2 teaspoons
kosher salt
Directions
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*For this soup, use a light stock, and if you don't have any that you've made on hand, then scrub your vegetables really well before you prepare them and add 2 quarts plus 1 cup water to your vegetable peelings (excluding the potato peels) and parsley stems, bring to a simmer and let them cook for about 45 minutes or so. Strain, and use this for your stock. (If you've got a chicken breast around, you could add it too, and have a nicely poached breast for tomorrow's lunch, perhaps with the rest of that fennel bulb and the pea shells).
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Heat butter and canola oil over low heat in large soup pot. When butter melts, add onions, shallots and green or spring onions. Cook at a medium low heat for a minute or so, just until they start to soften. (Resist the urge to caramelize them!)
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Add celery, carrot and fennel. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 2 minutes.
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Add potatoes and broth/stock, raise the heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, but still have some texture. While this is cooking, get started on your pistou (see instructions below).
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Add peas and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Don't let the vegetables cook too much. Try to keep them from getting so soft that they melt together. Add the sliced cabbage and turn off heat. Finish the pistou, continuing wherever you left off.
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Season soup lightly with salt, remembering that there is salt in the pistou, and add pepper to taste.
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Pistou: Soften the garlic: Place unpeeled garlic cloves in an ovenproof ramekin, add olive oil, and cook at 350 for 10 or 15 minutes, until the oil begins to bubble and the garlic inside the peels becomes golden brown and is still soft. Watch carefully, as garlic will overcook quickly and dry out. Remove from oven and let cool.
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Chop the herbs: Don't be tempted to use your food processor, you'll have much more control of shape and texture with a knife, and standing there smelling the aroma of the lovage and other herbs just may be the best 10 minutes of your day. Start with the largest leaves, the lovage. Roll them up together, slice the rolled herbs, and then run your knife through the leaves first one way and then the other until they're about 1/2 inch pieces. Add the parsley to the pile and chop it all together. Add chives, and then oregano in the same way, running the knife back and forth in different directions until they all are a very fine mince, no larger than 1/8 of an inch. All together they should measure about a cup now. Place in small bowl.
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Take garlic from peels and mash/chop together with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. When it is a velvety paste, stir into herbs in bowl along with the olive oil used in cooking the garlic. Taste and add pepper and more salt if needed.
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To serve, ladle warm soup into bowls and top with a scant teaspoon of the pistou.
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