Tasty Touch: Soup Au Pistou

There is something about fall and the dramatic changes it brings - the pleasant weather and the vibrant bursts of colors of the leaves with the holiday season just around the corner! It also happens to be my favorite season. As a family, we tend to do lot of activities during Fall - hay rides, corn mazes, perfect weather for biking in the scenic mountains and of course a beautiful hike or a walk along a trail covered with leaves.I cannot wait..
What better way to start this colorful season than with a hearty soup? Gather all the veggies with a trip to farmers market or use the veggies in your refrigerator and start cooking!
Pistou Soup has its origins in France.This is Vegetable rich soup and the Pistou gets stirred in the end giving the soup lots of flavor.In the Provencal dialect, pistou translates to 'pounded'.The difference between traditional Pesto and Pistou is the nuts. Pistou is Tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil, minus the nuts blended together to form a paste.

Sources: Food Network and Internet

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of leeks, with the dark green part discarded and the light green parts chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch sticks
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 green beans, chopped
1 small zucchini, skin peeled and chopped into big chunks
1 yellow squash, skin peeled and chopped
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup spaghetti, broken into pieces.
Salt and pepper

Pistou -
2 bunches of basil leaves, chopped
3 garlic, cloves, peeled and crushed
6 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Plum tomatoes, chopped

To make Pistou - Blend all the ingredients together to form a smooth paste.

In a large pot, heat olive oil.
Add Onions and carrots and cook till they are browned
Add leeks and garlic and cook for about 5 min
Add beans and pour 8 cups of water and bring it to a boil
Add zucchini and squash and continue to simmer until the vegetables begin to soften about 6 min