Читать книгу Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian - Rose Elliot - Страница 16

I love to use dried butter beans for this, though I’ve given the option of canned, as dried beans are such a joy. You can buy them for practically nothing, keep them in the cupboard until you need them, then work some kitchen alchemy just by gently soaking and boiling, to produce a meal that’s deeply satisfying and full of natural goodness. If you are cooking your own beans, use the cooking water for this soup, with some vegetable bouillon powder for extra flavour.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

225g (8oz) dried butter beans, soaked, cooked until tender and drained, or 2 x 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed

850ml (15 pints) water or unsalted vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

sugar (optional)

chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and fry over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, until softened, but not browned.

Add the cooked butter beans, water or stock, bay leaf and tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes.

Taste and season with salt, pepper and a little sugar if you think it needs it.

Blend a bit with a hand blender or leave the soup as it is. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.