Black Bean Pistou Soup

Ingredients

• black bean Soup
  1 unit
• dried black beans

  picked over and rinsed
  1 1/2 cups
• water
  12 cups
• Onion

  diced
  1 large
• garlic

  minced
  6 cloves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  1 unit
• basil leaves

  julienned for garnish
  8 large
• Vegetable Garnish
  1 unit
• green beans

  ends snapped, strung and sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces (about 11/2 cups)
  6 oz
• (about 8 oz. total) zucchini

  trimmed and diced
  2 small
• Potato croutons

  optional
  2 tsp
• peanut oil for deep-frying

  optional
  2 cups
• basil Purée
  1 unit
• olive oil
  1/3 cup
• cloves garlic
  4 large
• (about 11/2 oz.) fresh basil leaves
  1 1/2 cups
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  1 unit