This is the authentic bean soup recipe from
Florence. The Tuscans have been renowned for centuries for their great love of
bean-eating! The soup is placed in a wide ovenproof dish, covered with thinly
sliced onions, coated with a sheen of olive oil and heated in the oven until
the onions form a perfect golden crust. Serves 4
1kg fresh or 450 g dried cannellini or borlotti
beans - 5 large cloves garlic - 2 large onions, peeled and chopped - 8 tablespoons
olive oil - 1 carrot, finely chopped - 1 leek, chopped - 1 stick celery,
chopped - 1 large ripe tomato, chopped - 1 ham hock - 1.5 litres water – salt -
½ teaspoon beef extract - 275 g black Tuscan cabbage or dark green cabbage
leaves washed and cut into large pieces - 1 sprig fresh rosemary - 2.5g dried
thyme - 4 slices coarse white bread - 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
If you're using dried beans, soak them overnight
and boil twice for 5-10 minutes, washing in between each boiling. Drain and
discard the water
Peel and chop 2 of the garlic cloves and fry with
the chopped onions in 3 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the rest of
the chopped vegetables and the ham bone, the beans and cold water. Add a pinch
or two of salt and the beef extract. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until
the beans are tender
Remove the ham hock and 1 large ladleful of whole,
cooked beans. Liquidise or sieve the rest of the soup. Return the whole beans
to the soup with the cabbage. Continue to simmer gently until the cabbage is
tender. Cut off some of the meat from the ham hock, cube it and put it into the
soup
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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