A Magical Formula for Vegetable Provençal Soup 

Do you ever wonder why French soup is both magical and restorative?  I have found a magical formula for vegetable Provençal soup. That is to say, a formula filling with a balance of flavor, fat and acid. In France, spring vegetable soup takes its cues from Provence.

Paris in the springtime is divine, but Provence in the spring is even more divine. Let’s see, perfect temperatures, blooming flowers, no crowds, rosé wine. In addition, the arrival of vegetables at amazing food markets. 

Fat and Acid

Spring calls for vegetable Provençal soup. Vegetable Provençal Soup is not a little or quick thing. To clarify, vegetable soup takes thought, time, a particular order and the perfect culinary balance of fat and acid. 

It’s Important To Turn On the Oven

Now, before we get started on a magical formula for Vegetable Provençal Soup, I’m going to make a big statement. Let me preface. First, I dislike culinary braggers. Second, I have had plenty if culinary disasters. Once, at one of my own holiday dinner parties, I thought lamb had been braising for hours. Turns out, I forgot to turn on the oven! We ate at midnight. By that time, everyone was completely drunk, but we ate like kings and had a blast. Believe me, there are plenty more stories like that!

Kitchen disasters happen, but with them, come culinary triumphs. As a chef, I have my own personal list. Certainly, it includes creme brûlée, duck, fish, and lamb (when the oven is on). Yes, and soup. I dare say, soup is one of my specialities. In short, take my advice and you too will make magical soup.

Fun French Food Facts

Did you know we use the word restaurant because of soup? The word restaurant comes from the French verb restaurer, meaning “to restore or refresh.”

According to the bible of French gastronomy, Larousse Gastronomique, around 1765 a tavern keeper, Monsieur Boulanger, had a modest little culinary establishment. He served a soup of  sheep’s feet simmered in a white sauce.

Monsieur Boulanger put a sign out front that proclaimed, “Boulanger débite des restaurants divins,” which means ‘Boulanger sells restoratives fit for the gods.’ The word restaurant refers to rich broths then considered capable of restoring one’s health. Voila. 

French Things That Make you Go Hmmm?

Okay, so I’m a research geek. Bizarrely,  no one, including Larousse Gastronomic, presents any firm record of Boulanger’s existence. Rebecca Sprang was an expert on 18th and 19th century European history. She spent years buried in French archives while writing her book, The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture. Subsequently, Rebecca found no record of anyone named Boulanger owning any business, let alone a restaurant. Furthermore, she found no direct sources that anyone named Boulanger ever existed in France. Hmmmm. Oh well, c’est la vie.

The Restaurant Revolution

Prior to the French Revolution (spring 1789 – fall 1799), chefs were private chefs to aristocracy and upper class. Even the well-to-do middle class and upper middle class had cooks. Head chefs were called ‘master chefs’ because they were head chefs to the master. After the French Revolution, all the master chefs and their staff were out of work. As a reuslt, a restaurant revolution took Paris by storm—feeding both the middle class and nouveau-riche hungry for an egalitarian table.

A Magical Formula for Vegetable Provençal Soup

#1 Fat Over Oil

When starting your soup (usually with onions, leeks or garlic) use real unsalted butter or duck fat, not oil. Oil will not dissipate properly and it will leave your onions and early vegetables slippery. Consequently, your spices will not adhere to the initial layers of the vegetables properly. I offer a drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil at the table. The fatty, grassy flavor profile of the evoo rounds off the soup’s finish.

#2 Order Matters

It matters what order you add your ingredients when building your vegetable Provençal soup. Certainly, the biggest crime in soup-building is adding your liquid too soon. Here’s a suggested order that might be helpful.

1. use a generous potion of real butter or duck fat.

2. after that, add leeks, onion, garlic.

3. scald the mushrooms.

4. toss in and simmer that carrots, celery and fennel (mirepoix).

5. be generous with dried herbs and spices. Toss and cook into the dish. Simmer more.

6. during simmer, coat all vegetables thoroughly. 

7. meanwhile, include potato and cabbage. Toss, coat and simmer.

8. generously pour a whole bottle of dry sherry or white wine (simmer down for about 15-20 minutes).

9. squeeze in your first acid, tomato.

10. include a generous amount of chicken or veggie stock and simmer.

3 Extra Tips for Vegetable Provençal Soup:

• If adding white beans, add flageolet white beans which have been soaked over-night.
• Gently fold in softer vegetables last. For example, zucchini, green peas, okra etc.
• Enhance with fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and fresh herbs in the last hour

#3 Flavorful Herbs & Spices

Likewise, use both dried and fresh herbs vegetable Provençal soup. Also, incorporate different or unusual spices. A few of my favorites are cumin, truffle sea salt, marjoram, summer savory, mustard seeds, and fennel seeds. Build the bottom of your soup with dried herbs. Save fresh herbs for later in the soup. My favorite fresh herbs for vegetable Provençal soup are thyme, tarragon and mint. Above all, finish your soup with high quality briny, sea salt and lots of tri-color freshly ground pepper. 

#4 Starch is Paramount.

Most importantly, it must be a good starch. I’m not sure when the potato got such a bad rap. The French understand that the potato is not only delicious starch, but also an excellent source of fiber. Therefore, the potato helps you to feel full and keeps you from over-eating. The potato releases starch into the broth giving it a creamy quality without using dairy. Subsequently, creating a light creaminess, thickening the soup just the right amount. Although popular, I would warn you against using corn starch to thicken soups. 

#5 Get Creative With Vegetables

Be creative and mix it up with freezer favorites. One of my all time favorite vegetables for a vegetable Provençal soup is fresh fennel. Of course, a little goes a long way. The fennel enhances and enlivens the other vegetables. Favorites include leeks, mushrooms, cabbage, green peas and okra. On occasion, I will add French flageolet white beans. 

#6 Add Both Wine & Broth

Wine is an excellent acid with hints of fruit and in some cases, a little sweetness. When it comes to adding wine, I use dry sherry or dry white table wine. Sometimes I use left-over wine from a dinner event. Above all, it makes a difference when you add the wine (see tip #2).  

Filling in with filtered water is fine. on the  other hand, if you want a soup rich in flavor, use bone stocks. Homemade chicken bone stock or homemade vegetable stock is best. Simply put, it’s the only way to go. Similarly, there is a tremendous amount of flavor, not to mention, vitamins and minerals in chicken bones. I would warn you against the use of store-bought bullion cubes. They are loaded with sodium, chemicals and corn starch. 

#7 Add Acid

Fat and acid are crucial to a magical formula for vegetable Provençal soup. 

For all soup, I add multiple forms of acid. For vegetable Provençal soup, I include two types of acid. First, I add a little tomato. France gains the appreciation of tomato from both Basque French cuisine, the Midi-Pyrenees area and Provence. 

When I cook vegetable Provençal soup, I make a lot at one time, at least 2 gallons. For a large batch of soup, I use 2-3 small cans of organic peeled tomatoes. I squeeze them with my hand over the soup and fold. That little bit of tomato acid brings balance to the overall flavor profile. 

Second, towards the end, I squeeze fresh lemon juice into the soup. The tartness of the lemon dissipates. In turn, it brightens and balances the green earthy vegetables. For a large batch soup, I use 4 to 5 lemons.  I even zest the rind of the lemon into the soup. 

I appreciate your support!