Soupe au Pistou (Pistou Soup)

This is the third recipe from foodtv.ca's French Food at Home. I really enjoy Laura Calder's show and I have an endless list of recipes of hers I'd like to make. I like that her dishes look appetizing and are usually fairly easy to make. She also has a bit of quirky personality that I enjoy.

For this soup, I spied fresh cranberry beans at the farmer's market. I just couldn't resist buying them and figuring out what to make later. With basil in abundance in the garden, making pesto for soupe au pistou seemed like a perfect idea.



Soupe au Pistou (Pistou Soup) - Makes 6 servings
From French Food at Home.

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 cup green beans, cut into ½-inch pieces
* 1 potato, peeled and diced
* 1 cup carrots, diced
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 4 cups vegetable broth or water
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 sprig thyme
* 1 cup fresh beans or cooked beans of your choice
* 1 cup zucchini, diced small
* 2 tomatoes, seeded, and diced
* pesto, homemade or store-bought, for garnish
* Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat the oil in a sauté pan and gently cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the green beans, potato, carrots and beans (if uncooked).
Pour the vegetable broth or water.
Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf and the thyme.
Bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes.
Add the zucchini (and the beans if you are using cooked or canned beans) and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes longer.
Stir through the tomato.
Ladle the soup into bowls.
(Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs).
Add a spoonful (or more!) of pesto to each bowl.
Tada!



While the pesto is only a garnish, it is a defining ingredient in this soup. I thought it added a whole lot of flavour. Without it, the soup was a bit of a bland vegetable soup. I loved the fresh creamy beans in the soup.



Other Laura Calder (French Food at Home) recipes:
* Cauliflower Salad
* Goat Cheese stuffed Mushrooms
* Moelleux au Chocolat (Molten Chocolate Cake)

Basil White Bean Dip

When I need a little break at work, I like to read blogs, including the various ones on glamour.com. I was reading Vitamin G, the health and fitness blot, when I read this garlicky, white bean dip from the cookbook Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. I later checked out the book at the library but without any pictures, cookbooks don't really hold my attention. I did try this dip and really liked it as a healthy snack at work. Super easy to make too!



Basil White Bean Dip
From Skinny Bitch in the Kitch.
I like the fresh basil flavour so I add a lot more than what is recommended!

* 1-15 oz. can of white (cannelini) beans, drained
* 1-2 cloves of garlic
* 3 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* ¼ tsp salt
* ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
* 2 tsp chopped fresh basil

In a food processor, combine the beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Blend and add in the chopped basil.
Blend again (if it's not blending properly, add more oil or a bit of water).
Serve with baked pita triangles.
Tada!


Pita triangles are the perfect vehicle for this dip!

For other dip/spread recipes:
* Cheat's Hummus
* Pan-Fried Onion Dip
* Pea Spread (Mock Chopped Liver)
* Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Lentil-Ricotta "Meatballs"

I was looking through foodgawker when I came upon this vegetarian recipe from In Jennie's Kitchen. Jennie's "meatballs" looked enticing and I thought it was interesting that her motivation for using lentils was not simply health or ethics, but to make a more affordable version of meatballs. I totally agree that you wouldn't miss the meat in these hardy "meatballs".



Lentil-Ricotta "Meatballs" - Serves 3 or 4
Adapted from In Jennie's Kitchen.
I decided to add a cheesy surprise inside the "meatballs" but they are totally optional and would still taste great without! I had a bit of trouble frying them because they stuck to the pan (probably because I don't use enough oil!). Instead, I baked them and it worked out great!

* 1 cup cooked lentils (cook about ¼ cup of dry lentils)
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* ⅓ cup plain breadcrumbs
* ¼ cup fresh ricotta
* 2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
* 1-½ teaspoon chopped parsley (I use some dried flakes)
* salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
* mozzarella, cut into small cubes (if you want a cheesy middle!)
* oil, for frying

Cook lentils and let them cool down.
Purée lentils in a food processor.
Add all the ingredients, except for the mozzarella, into a large bowl.
Mix very well, using hands or a wooden spoon.
Cover and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
Place a tablespoon or so of the mixture onto your hand and flatten into a disk.
Put a piece of the mozzarella cheese and shape the lentil mixture around into a ball.
Fry the "meatballs" in oil until brown.
Alternatively, drizzle oil on a baking dish and bake the "meatballs" until brown.
Serve with homemade tomato sauce and your favourite pasta.
Tada!


I cooked too much lentils so I cut the amount in half.


My piece of cheese may have been a bit too large! Can you have too much cheese?


Before and after cooking the "meatballs".


I liked the gooey cheese in the middle!

For other vegetarian pasta dishes:
* Eggplant Parmesan
* Eggplant Rollatini
* Mushroom Ravioli
* Pumpkin Ravioli
* Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rolls
* Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
* Truffle Macaroni & Cheese