Slow food Sunday and keeping up with my garden.

My backyard garden is growing like crazy and is pumping out green beans, onions, swisschard, rainbow carrots, zucchini, beets, cucumber, basil, garlic, arugula, and parsley at an alarming pace. One of the dozens of green tomatoes turned pink today too… sooo close!

Anyway, this soup was the best way to use up all the veg that is currently taking up prime real-estate in my fridge. Gotta make room for more veggies and all the white wine I bought last weekend.

Provençal Vegetable Soup au Pistou

1 15-oz can cannellini or white kidney beans

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp chopped thyme

2 garlic cloves, minced

6-8 stalks rainbow swisschard, chopped into 1 inch pieces

3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

4 small carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 small zucchini, cut into ¾ inch pieces

4 small potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 950ml carton vegetable or chicken broth

1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube

2 cups hot water

1 tsp salt

Splash rice wine vinegar, or lemon juice

Pistou

4 cups packed basil

1 cup grated parmesan

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 plum tomato, cored

Heat the oil and butter over medium in a large soup pot. Saute onions and celery until translucent. Add garlic, carrots and thyme. Saute another minute. Add stock and turn up heat.

While the soup is coming to a boil melt the bouillion cube in 2 cups of water. Add to the soup. Then add the beans, zucchini, potatoes and swiss chard. Simmer on low until the potatoes are tender. Add salt and lemon at the end. Stir once more.

Meanwhile make the pistou. Blend everything in a food processor and set aside.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with pistou dolloped ontop.