Written for Bristol Bites by Ryan Jones
How many of us struggle to come up with new ideas for meal times? It’s more of a problem in the heat of summer. You know you want something delicious to eat but you don’t want to spend hours in a hot kitchen dicing, chopping and boiling.
We don’t think of soup as a summer meal, mainly because we tend to rely on them as a hearty, warming course in the winter.
But countries used to the heat often use a lighter soup as a light evening meal.
This summer pistou recipe has the best of everything. Tasty summer veg that is light and tingling on the palate.
What is a pistou?
The Italians claim they ‘won’ pistou, a play they say on pesto, the delicious alchemic sauce of fresh basil leaves, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic.
The French, on the other hand, say pistou is from the Provencal region, and it too uses garlic and basil as its base.
Either way, both versions make for a delightful base from which the soup flourishes with flavour and deliciousness.
Making your own
This version of the soup is much lighter, and perfect for the summer. With no one over-riding, strong flavour, it is a dish that everyone should like.
Even better, you can play around with the ingredients too, adding those you like and omitting those that you don’t.
It is the perfect recipe for when you see a glut of summer veg in the greengrocers or you have a bumper harvest from the polytunnel or allotment, but keep the veggies as fresh as possible to tease out the best flavour.
Eat it at any time of day too: mid-morning brunch with toasted paninis with a drizzle of green pesto, or add some cheese at lunch for a heartier meal. Equally good enjoyed as a light supper too, why not make your version of summer pistou soup?