Soupe au Pistou with Pancetta

Jun 04, 2009

The soup began with a handful of browning pancetta, popping and browning dutifully at the bottom of a pot. When it was crisp and golden, I added a series of spring vegetables, each one stirring the smell anew. Sweet fennel and onions; bright squash and carrots; the aromatics of a bay leaf. Somehow, the pancetta wrapped its arms around each one, enhancing them as one and as many…oh, sweet miracle food. After all the flavors had mellowed together, it was truly a perfect spring meal–the ideal resting place for an abundance of seasonal produce.