La Soupe au Pistou

This Provençal soup, Genoese by birth, is a dense concoction of vegetables given further substance by fresh nouilles and/or rice, a celebration of the time of year when everything is tender, sweet and fresh, to which the pistou (Italian pesto) is added. In this village it was Gruyère, not pecorino sardo or parmesan, that was incorporated. Here is the principle: