Bean soup – doesn’t sound that exiting I know. But this is one of those recipes that magically takes prosaic ingredients and turns them sublime.
Now I don’t mean this is the soup to serve at a sophisticated dinner party. This is hearty food that is good for the soul, and gentle on the wallet. February has been a frugal month and going into March, I’m still saving saving money by taking lunches to work. This soup has been a great choice this week. And like most soups it just got better and better as the week wore on.
Ham and bean soup - care of Nigel Slate's Appetite
The recipe is care of Nigel Slater’s Appetite. I used the end of a prosciutto that we’d picked up from Mediterranean Food Warehouse in Newtown for about $5. It gave the soup a lovely rich base note and kept my hunger pangs away right into the afternoon!
Enough for 6
200g dried beans – borlotti, cannellini or chick peas – I used mixted beans
1-2 carrots depending on size
1-2 celery sticks
1 good size leek
3 gloves garlic – or more if you like
parsley – a small bunch
bacon or ham – either a small unsmoked ham hock or the end of a Parma ham
Soak the beans overnight in water. The next day, drain them and tip them into a large, deep pan. Cover with water, and if you want add a few drops of olive oil and a bay leaf. Boil them hard for 10 minutes then turn them down and simmer until the beans are tender but far from squashy. The time will vary depending on the types of beans but plan for 25-40 minutes for beans and an hour for chick peas.
While the beans are cooking you can dice the carrot, cut the celery quite finely and slice the leek in the thick coins. Don’t use the thick dark green bits. Peel and chop the garlic and roughly chop the parsley.
Drain the beans, put them in a little oil in a deep pan with the vegetables and half the parsley. Add the ham in one peice and enough water to cover it. Bring it to the boil then turn the heat down so that it is gently bubbling round the ham. Cook for at least an hour and a half or more.
Nigel Slater reckons you get the best results by letting the soup cook really slowly, “blipping and glupping rather than bubbling, for two hours or more”.
Check for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and the rest of the parsley. The end result will be beans that are soft and velvety and a liquor that is velvety and flavourful.
