White beans and potato soup
Soup for me is second nature and as I mentioned before, I do not need or use recipes for making it so it is a little different every time I make it, depending on what I have on hand.
This soup was a delicious combination of cooked white beans I had in the freezer, combined with potatoes, half a red pepper, a tomato and stock. For garnish I sprinkled along the side of the plate crispy lentils that I had made a few days before. A bit of chopped parsley and a swirl of crème fraîche or cashew cream completes the dish beautifully.
I tend to soak or cook beans and keep them in the freezer, this way they are available for a quick dish like this one. If you don’t have your own cooked beans I guess you can use good organic canned beans, but the it does change the flavour. Sometimes I use a pressure cooker to cook the beans, it shortens the cooking time significantly.
I keep the soup in mason jars in the refrigerator, it keeps well for a few days or more.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 large potato, cut in small cubes
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped and seeded
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
6-8 cups stock
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Heat oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until translucent, don’t let it burn.
Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until it is fragrant.
Add the red pepper and tomato and cook for another two minutes or so.
Add the beans and potatoes and stir for a couple fo minutes.
Add 4 cups of the stock and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, add salt and pepper and the thyme and cook, adding as much stock as needed to reach the soup consistency you like. Some like it thick, some like it with more liquid. I made it thick the first time and thinned it out when reheated the next day.
Cook the soup on moderate heat for about 30 minutes, adding liquid as needed
Adjust the seasoning.
Depending on how your beans cooked, you can leave the soup as is or puree some of it with an immersion blender to make it creamier and thicker.
Serve hot, garnishing the bowls with toasted lentils and parsley.
Toasted lentils:
2 cups cooked lentils
Salt
Spread the cooked and drained lentils on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and cook at 375F until they dry and become crisp.
Let cool, then store in airtight container.
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