Provençal Vegetable Soup with Garlic, Basil and Herbs – Soupe Au Pistou

In honor of Julia's 102nd birthday yesterday, I cracked open Mastering the Art of French Cooking for the next item on the list. Now August normally isn't the ideal season for HOT SOUP, but this summer has definitely been a welcome exception to the typical sweltering weather pattern. So on to "Recipe #5" we go with "Provençal Vegetable Soup with Garlic, Basil and Herbs" – aka Soupe Au Pistou.

I've actually been eyeing this one for a while. The introduction to this recipe brags about early summer in the Mediterranean being the season for "fresh beans". Now the only beans I've ever been able to put my hands on around these parts are dried or canned - hardly what I'd call "fresh". (Maybe I'm not going down the right aisle in the supermarket?) So instead of either of these choices, I opted for a complete substitution - a funny little "Sprouted Bean Trio" (dried lentils, adzuki & mung beans) I picked up at Costco the other day. Not exactly Provençal, I know, but away we go.

Part one of the recipe involves lots of chopping. Two cups each of diced carrots, potatoes and leek (or onion). I had neither leek nor onion on hand, but luckily had a whole bunch of green onion left over from our weekly farm boxes. I figure this is as close as anything to leeks (just a bit skinnier.) Added those funny dried beans to the pot along with some salt and 3 quarts (that is, 12 cups) of water to boil for 40 min.

Now looking at this in the pot, we seem to have a perfectly decent soup going on. Add to it later 2 cups of fresh green beans, some pasta and bread crumbs, and one would think it was good to go. And I have to admit, I was a bit tempted at this point to enjoy the rest of my Saturday afternoon. But the name of this recipe includes "au Pistou" after all. And what exactly is "au Pistou" you may ask?

Well, first of all, it involved 3 lbs of tomatoes! Yes that's right - sneaky Julia took me all the way to p.74 to make "Fresh Tomato Purée with Garlic and Herbs aka Coulis de Tomate à la Provençale". And in the process of working through this bonus recipe, I got the double bonus of flipping to p.505 to learn the perfect technique of peeling, seeding, juicing and chopping said tomatoes.  Those cooked on their own for just over 1/2 hour, along with lots of garlic and herbs (many of which I did not have on hand, so were sadly omitted) but turned out quite nicely.

Now back to the pistou recipe. Add my marvelous tomato purée to some mashed garlic, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. All blended together into a delicious smelling paste. Once the soup base is done, a cup is stirred into this pistou, then the whole lot is combined.

OH am I glad I did NOT skip the PISTOU! Definitely the key ingredient to make what would otherwise have been merely an "okay" vegetable soup. Husband was actually impressed enough to refer to it as "restaurant" quality... "no wait...Better than restaurant" quality. YUM!

So no being lazy and skipping the pistou portion. Believe me - totally worth the extra effort! But P.S. - Next time I think I'll go for different beans. The dried mix was okay, but they ended up being much smaller than the navy or kidney beans called for.

So next on the list will be Garlic Soup aka Aigo Bouido (I just have to learn to put those two little dots on top of the "i"s in Aigo Bouido.

Onion Soup – Soupe à l‘Oignon (with garnishings/Croûtes)

Whenever I think of French cooking, one of the first dishes that comes to mind is French Onion Soup. I mean, it's a total classic. Found in the best and the worst of restaurants, it's the soup that you know contains the word "French" and means it. (Unlike those wannabe's like fries and toast.) It is with the greatest pleasure I order it whenever I find it on a menu, and it was with the highest anticipation that I got to what I refer to as "Recipe #4" in Julia Child's  Mastering the Art of French Cooking. To prepare this soup would certainly be the highlight of all recipes, right?

Cooking Onions for Onion Soup - Soupe à l‘Oignon

Maybe it was the soup base that I chose. The ingredients list calls for "2 quarts boiling brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or 1 quart of boiling water and 1 quart of stock or bouillon". I chose to go with the bouillon - I used beef "better than bouillon". Or maybe it was the choice in brand of dry white vermouth (versus perhaps a dry white wine which was the other alternative). I'm not saying either of these was the full reason, but I am saying I was extremely disappointed in my final result. It totally lacked the flavor and texture and general appeal of anything I have ever considered French Onion Soup.

After making this soup, I pretty much closed this cookbook and moved on to other endeavors. Will I try making Julia's Soupe à l'Oignon again? Without a doubt. But not anytime soon. I mean, please - I don't fault the recipe, or the cookbook. Both are without doubt classics, and the error is certainly in the technique of the untrained chef (moi). And it has taken me a while, but I have missed my birthday buddy and I am more than anxious to resume my journey through this beloved masterpiece.

One positive comment I can add to this dismal review is the Croûtes (!) Using just 1-inch thick slices of French bread, a bit of olive oil half-way through 1/2 hour of roasting, and some garlic rubbed at the end, I think I found a super simple and delightfully delicious tasty treat that is perfect for practically any occasion. This recipe is one of those things that you make, and it's so good you swear that you will make it again. So I can't claim that this experience was a total wash. I've found a happy favorite - love the Croûtes!!