Spring Soupe au Pistou with Kohlrabi and Chickpeas

Photo by Robyn Maguire / Styled by Catrine Kelty

This Provençal vegetable soup is defined by the spoonful of fresh “pistou” (like pesto but without the pine nuts) that’s swirled into each serving. It takes advantage of two of spring’s first offerings: fresh herbs and kohlrabi. Both the sweet knobby kohlrabi stem and dark green leaves are added to the pot along with leeks, carrot, celery and chickpeas. Pistou is traditionally made with basil only, but I like to add flat-leaf parsley to the mix for its bright green color. Feel free to experiment with other tender seasonal herbs like chives, dill or cilantro. It’s a little tricky to measure leaves in volume, so use a kitchen scale if you’ve got one.

Serves 6

3 medium kohlrabi, leaves attached
2 leeks, trimmed of roots and dark green tops, halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2½ cups cooked chickpeas (from 1 cup dry or 2 [15-ounce] cans)
1 cup chickpea cooking liquid or water

PISTOU
1 clove garlic
45 grams (about 3 cups) basil leaves
15 grams (about 1 cup) flat-leaf parsley leaves
60 grams (½ cup) grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup olive oil

Remove the foliage from the kohlrabi and separate the leaves from the tough stalks. Chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces and set aside; discard the stalks. Peel and discard the tough outer layer from the kohlrabi. Chop into ½-inch pieces.

Place the sliced leeks in a large bowl of cold water and swish them around to remove any sand or dirt. Lift the leeks out of the water and spread on a clean towel.

In a soup pot over medium, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the leeks, carrot, celery and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have begun to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, chopped kohlrabi, chopped kohlrabi leaves, chickpeas, cooking liquid or water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until kohlrabi is tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if you like. Serve with a generous spoonful of pistou swirled into each bowl.

PISTOU:
In a food processor with the motor running, drop in the garlic clove and blend until finely minced. Add the basil, parsley, cheese, salt and ½ cup of the olive oil. Blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary, until you have a uniform texture. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Transfer pistou to a small container or jar with a tight-fitting lid until ready to use; refrigerate if longer than a few hours.

This recipe appeared in the Spring 2021 issue as part of a larger story called “Souper Foods.”