PURÉED BEAN SOUP
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4 PEOPLE)
- 300 g Organic Borlotti Beans (left to soak the night before)
- 600 ml hot vegetable broth
- 1 clove garlic
- a small piece of chilli pepper (optional)
- 3-4 sticks rosemary
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt, pepper
- a few slices of bread (even if stale)
- 6-8 black cabbage leaves
- 1 stalk white celery (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Wash the beans and soak them beforehand for at least 12-15 hours, then rinse them and cook them in plenty of boiling water for 50 minutes, adding a pinch of salt only towards the end. When they are soft, but not overdone, drain them and keep the cooking water aside.
- Finely chop the garlic and rosemary leaves, then let them brown with a little oil in a large saucepan, adding a piece of chilli pepper to taste.
- At this stage, add the boiled beans with a pinch of salt, let them flavour for a few minutes while stirring with a wooden spoon, then add some of the water in which you cooked the beans and part of the stock, so that the beans remain covered by the liquid.
- Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, or just enough so that they are soft, adding stock if necessary.
- In the meantime, cut the bread slices into cubes and toast slightly.
- Wash, dry and cut the black cabbage leaves into 2 to 3 cm strips and sprinkle with a little oil, then add a pinch of salt and bake at 220°C for 3 to 5 minutes or until they become crisp (make sure they do not burn).
- Finally, cut the celery into thin strips as desired and fry it in a little oil.
- Remove from the heat and mix using an immersion blender, then adjust by adding stock or the cooking water of the beans kept aside. Put it on the heat again for one or two minutes, if necessary. Finally, serve hot, garnishing the dish with the black cabbage chips, fried celery, crumbled toasted bread, a little oil, and some grinded pepper if you like.
Author and Photographer of: rossellavenezia.com
Rossella is originally from Marche and Basilicata. She lives in Rome, but often travels around with her suitcase (and camera!) in her hand.
She is an architect, photographer, author and cook and has a special interest in landscapes and the environment.
She loves exploring the bond between food products and their origin and making dishes that bring back memories of her childhood and of the many women in her family who contributed to her passion for cooking.
She has great respect for natural ingredients and firmly believes in the role that cuisine and people play in protecting and preserving the environment in which we live.
She has a passion (which is not actually a secret) for pastry and baking.
She loves writing (as well as reading!) but above all, since she was a child she loves to talk! She talks about her gastronomic adventures and much more in her blog: Vaniglia, storie di cucina.
