Provencal Vegetable Soup: A Taste of Southern France
Provencal Soup: A combination of fresh vegetables, fragrant herbs, and rich tomato broth, creating a vibrant and comforting summer dish straight from the sun-kissed region of Provence
Servings 4people
Prep Time 15 minutesmins
Cook Time 35 minutesmins
Total Time 50 minutesmins
Ingredients
1red onion
2cloves garlic
2-3tbspolive oil
250gchopped tomatoes
1courgette
1large carrot
100grunner beans
1tbsptomato puree
2tbspchopped parsley
2-3bay leaf
2tspthyme
2tspsugar
2tbsphard cheese – grated
salt, black pepperto taste
2semi-cured sausages of your choiceIf you want meat version
Gnocchi
2tbspsemolina
1tspplain white flour
1egg
1tspoil
1tspparsley
salt, black pepperto taste
Hollandaise sauce
1egg
1tbspwhite wine vinegar
80mlbutter
3tspdouble cream
parsley
2-3leavesbasil
Pistou sauce
1clovesgarlic
1cupfresh basil leaves
1/3cupgrated Parmesan cheese
1/3cupolive oil
saltto taste
Instructions
In a saucepan, heat oil and add diced onion. Fry until translucent.
Add sliced carrot and runner beans cut into 1-inch pieces. Fry for another 2-3 minutes.
(If you are making a meat version, add sliced sausages at this stage and fry them together with the carrots.) Add garlic and fry for an additional 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour in 1 l of water and stir well. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, add courgettes cut into small pieces. Add extra water if necessary, or if too thin, continue to simmer for extra minutes.
Version with pasta
Now, add pasta. If you are using large pasta, add only a small amount as it will become too thick once it expands in water. It is preferable to use linguine or very thin spaghetti, cut into small pieces. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. If it becomes too thick, add some water.
Version with gnocchi
In a cup, mix the egg with semolina until smooth. Add oil, salt and thyme.
Using a teaspoon, slowly add semolina paste to the soup while it is still cooking. Cook for about 5-7 minutes.
At the end of the cooking process, allow the soup to rest for approximately 15 minutes before serving.
Hollandaise sauce
Boil an egg for exactly 3.5 minutes to achieve a soft-boiled egg. Separate the egg white from the yolk. The white should be firm, and the yolk should still be runny.
Whisk the yolk with a little bit of salt and vinegar, then slowly add oil, just like for mayonnaise.
Then mix in cream and continue to stir with a fork.
Add finely chopped egg white, chopped parsley, and basil, and season with lots of black pepper. Stir well.
Pour 2-3 teaspoons of sauce over the soup.
Garnish with some croutons and finely grated hard cheese.
Pistou sauce
Peel and crush garlic cloves.In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and a pinch of salt together until you get a smooth paste.
Add the basil leaves to the mortar and continue pounding until the leaves are crushed and well combined with the garlic.
Gradually add the Parmesan cheese while stirring continuously.Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while stirring until you achieve a creamy consistency.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
Notes
Please note that the calorie count mentioned is per serving of the soup and does not include any accompanying sauces or garnishes like Hollandaise or Pistou sauce. Kindly remember that the calorie content may vary based on the specific ingredients used and the serving size. For accurate nutritional information, it is recommended to refer to the packaging