Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic

The French have imposed their own pronunciation on the Italian minestrone to describe a hearty soup of boiled vegetables and pasta. The Provençal pistou is a garlic, fresh basil, grated cheese, and olive oil pomade, descendant of the Genovese pesto, which contains pounded pinenuts and most often sauces pasta. A soupe au pistou is a minestrone into which, at the moment of serving, a pistou is incorporated. Beyond that point of definition, no two are