Pistou Soup Recipe by Raymond Blanc

We are delighted to have a collaboration between Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and She Grows Veg for Chelsea Flower Show 2024. Raymond Blanc has created a delicious recipe for ‘Pistou Soup’ that he will be cooking at the show at the She Grows Veg exhibit.  The recipe is beautiful in its simplicity and marries delicious seasonal, heirloom vegetables all in season in May.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Nutritional Information

Ingredients

For the pistou sauce

• 30g basil leaves and stalks, washed
• 20g garlic, puréed
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt and 2 pinches white pepper

For the soup

• 60g white onion, chopped into 1cm dice
• 90g carrot, peeled and diced 1cm
• 50g celery, peeled and diced 1cm
• 90g fennel, chopped and diced 1cm
• 60g extra virgin olive oil
• 5g sea salt and1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
• 800ml water, boiling
• 100g courgette, diced 1cm
• 50g broad beans
• 50g peas, fresh (optional)
• 8 cherry tomatoes, skin on, halved

To finish

• 50g fresh pistou sauce
• 40g freshly grated parmesan
• large handful croutons or toasted baguette finely sliced

Method

1. Make the Pistou sauce by combining the ingredients in a pestle and mortar of food processor.
2. To start the soup, blanch the basil in plenty of boiling water for 3-5 seconds to cook and fixate the chlorophyll, and so keep its bright green colour. Stop the cooking by plunging it into iced water. Drain, squeeze out any excess water and chop.
3. In a liquidiser, using the pulse button, purée all the ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Reserve in the fridge.
4. In a large pan on a medium heat, sweeten the white onion, carrots, celery and fennel in the olive oil for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the hot water and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Add the courgettes and broad beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, then the peas and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute only.
6. Lastly, mix in the pistou sauce and a generous handful of grated parmesan. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.Divide the soup between four bowls. Sprinkle some parmesan over each bowl. Serve the croutons either on the soup or separately.You could substitute other summer vegetables such as swiss chard, artichokes, cabbage, lettuce, mange tout and French beans.

More from Le Manoir and its Gardening School

In the centre of the gardens at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, you will find The Raymond Blanc Gardening School, abundant with gardening tools, heritage seeds, potting plants.  Here you will discover horticulture that is rooted in championing varieties, seasonality, sustainability, and beauty.  Similarly, The Raymond Blanc Cookery School passes on the culinary philosophy that has guided chefs for decades.  The immersive courses bring your home to Le Manoir as you construct your own dishes from the countryside that surrounds. Belmond official website