a soup to bridge the seasons...

This has been a go-to soup for us for a long while now. It's as perfect for end of summer as it is for middle of the winter. I discovered it when Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook first came out in 2010. A colleague & I each purchased a copy & took turns making recipes from it, sharing our experiences, until we'd gone through the entire tome. This remains one of my favorites... every ingredient tastes exactly like what it is, without it all mushing together, like a lot of veg soups do...

vegetable soup

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Provençal Vegetable Soup recipe

• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 c. veg broth (we use organic better than bouillon seasoned veg base)
• 4 parsley springs, 4 thyme springs, 2 large rosemary springs, 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 carrots cut into small dice
• 3 small or 1 large potato, diced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut to same length to fit a soup spoon
• 1 can of chickpeas (or 1 cup homemade preferred), drained & rinsed
• 1 -2 zucchini or yellow squash, diced
• 2-4 peeled and seeded tomatoes OR 1 32oz can diced with juice
• 1 ear fresh corn, husked & kernels sliced off OR about a cup frozen
• to top: olive tapenade or we like divina's olive muffeletta + chiffonade of fresh basil leaves or your favorite pesto + favorite bread + toasted pepitas

The order & timing of things is critical here. It's how each veg maintains its individuality... so having a timer nearby is helpful.

1. using olive oil, heat a stockpot or dutch oven that holds at least 5 qts easily. add the onion + garlic, season with salt and pepper, stirring until soft, about 10 minutes. 
2. add the broth + herbs (I throw them in and fish out the large stems before serving, the cooking shakes loose the leaves) and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes
3. stir in the carrots + potato and cook for 15-20 minutes. 
4. stir in the green beans + chickpeas + zucchini/squash and cook for 10 minutes more.
5. add the tomatoes + corn kernels and cook for 3 minutes.

season to taste. 

finish the soup with little bowls of basil or pesto + olive tapenade / cut olives + a favorite bread or Ottolenghi's mustard croutons + toasted pepitas - and allow each guest to adorn his/her/their own as desired.

enjoy! 

fia