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La soupe au pistou
(Basil soup)
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
For the soup:
225g French beans
450g courgette
225g potatoes
225g fresh haricot beans, red or white
a few skinless and seedless tomatoes
100g small macaroni (coquillettes)
grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g cured ham (optional)
For the basil sauce (pistou):
1 bouquet fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
“All the ingredients can be picked
up in a local Thursday market in
Agde. Without fresh basil and
fresh haricot beans it is not worth
doing at all.”
Submitted by Helene Carcenac, owner of property
69978 in Agde, Languedoc-Roussillon.
Method
• In a large saucepan, bring 2 litres of salted water to the boil.
• Meanwhile, shell the haricot beans, wash them and add once the water has boiled.
• Add the ham, chopped in to small or large pieces, depending on preference.
• Chop the French beans, potatoes, courgettes and skinned, seedless tomatoes in to small pieces and add.
• Ensure all the vegetables are covered with water, reduce the temperature to simmer, cover and cook for one hour.
• After one hour add the macaroni and cook for a further 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, crush the basil leaves, garlic and tomatoes in a mortar, adding 4 spoons of olive oil to the mixture
plus a little of the parmesan. Add the basil sauce to the soup just before serving. Stir and serve in a tureen,
with grated parmesan on top.
Property 69978 is a charming 15th century
old-style house with two bedrooms and a
secluded terrace in the heart of Agde old town.
Fine sandy beaches are just five minutes away.
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“Serve with a red Montpeyroux, or a chilled rosé
like a Listel.”
Mushrooms preserved in vinegar
Ingredients (per jar)
mushrooms (chanterelles or very little ceps)
white vinegar (wine or alcohol)
a few sprigs of parsley
1 sprig of tarragon
1 clove of garlic
a few peppercorns
glass jars (like jam ones) with screw caps
Method
• Boil some white vinegar with parsley, tarragon, garlic and peppercorns for 5 minutes.
• Put the mushrooms into a pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes.
• Rinse them with cold water, drain and pack into a glass jar.
• When the vinegar is cold, pour it over the mushrooms and screw the jar tightly shut.
“Check out the mushroom market
of Villefranche du Périgord. It is
the biggest market in France, and
as soon as mushrooms appear, they
are sold there.”
Submitted by Helene Carcenac, owner of property
9675 in Bezenac, Dordogne.
“Serve with cold meats.”
Property 9675 is a peaceful 17th century
farmhouse with three bedrooms, located on
a cliff top with stunning views of the Dordogne
River. Set in four acres of land at the edge of
a wood, it has been carefully restored and
furnished with French antiques.
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