Green vegetable pistou stew
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Green vegetable pistou stew
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Bruno Loubet
Born and brought up in France, chef Bruno Loubet has worked in many of Britain's top restaurants. His award-winning London restaurant Grain Store drove the trend for giving vegetables equal billing with meat. He loves to experiment with produce grown in his own garden.
Bruno Loubet
Born and brought up in France, chef Bruno Loubet has worked in many of Britain's top restaurants. His award-winning London restaurant Grain Store drove the trend for giving vegetables equal billing with meat. He loves to experiment with produce grown in his own garden.
Ingredients
- 1 litre vegetable stock or fish stock
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 2 large or 3-4 medium courgettes (about 450g), roughly diced
- 400g Tenderstem broccoli, chopped
- ½ white cabbage (about 400g), chopped
- 175g frozen broad beans, defrosted and double-podded
- 200g frozen peas, defrosted
- a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
For the pistou
- 3 x 28g packs basil, leaves picked
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- 100ml olive oil
- 40g Parmesan or vegetarian alternative, grated
To serve with couscous (optional)
- 300g couscous
- 400ml hot vegetable stock
- 25g butter
To serve with fish (optional)
- 2-3 tsp olive oil
- 8 x 90g sea bream or mackerel fillets
Step by step
The pistou will keep in the fridge for 1 day, covered, or can be frozen for up to 1 month.
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To make the pistou, first drop the basil leaves into a bowl of boiling water, then remove immediately with a draining spoon; transfer to a bowl of iced water. This will set the bright green colour.
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Squeeze the basil dry and chop roughly. Crush the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar to make a paste; pound in the drained basil. Gradually work in the olive oil to give a thick sauce, then stir in the Parmesan; set aside. You can use a food processor, but don’t over-blend.
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In a very large pan, heat the stock until simmering. Finely slice two spring onions for garnish; cut the rest into chunks. Add the courgettes and Tenderstem broccoli, cook uncovered for 2 minutes; add the cabbage. Cook for 1 minute; add the remaining veg and cook, still uncovered, for another few minutes until all the veg are tender. Stir in most of the pistou. Season; add lemon juice to taste.
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To serve with couscous, bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous and a pinch of salt, cover with a lid and remove from the heat to stand. Stir through the butter before serving.
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If serving with the fish, heat the oil in 2 nonstick frying pans over a high heat and pan-fry the fish skin-side down for 3 minutes. Season, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until flaking. Divide the stew between shallow bowls, then add a fish fillet to each, and finish with an extra spoonful of pistou and a few sliced spring onions.
