French Pistou Soup

1. For the soup: Defrost the peas. Peel and dice the onion and carrots. Dice leek. Remove the stems of the kale and slice into ribbons. Peel, deseed, and cube the squash.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 4 quart saucepan.

3. Add the onion, carrots, and a sea salt; cook for about 5 minutes or until the veggies begin to soften. Add the leeks and continue cooking another 5 minutes.

4. Add the squash, broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and another pinch of salt. Simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes until the squash is soft. Add the kale and peas.

5. When the vegetables are just tender, add the cooked white beans and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Do not overcook the soup or the green vegetables will not remain bright

6. While the soup is simmering, make the pistou.

7. For the pistou: In a small food processor mix the garlic, basil and mint leaves, and a little salt.

8. Process until coarsely chopped, then stream in the olive oil and blend well.

9. Seed and chop the tomato, add it in to the pistou and mix again. You will have a medium-thick paste.

10. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems from the soup. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and swirl a spoonful of the pistou atop the soup.