Autumn Salvation Soup
I wanted to write a little or a lotto about soup….. It’s the bedrock of almost every meal I eat at the moment and the love affair shows no sign of waning. It’s the 2nd of December and not nearly the dead of winter but the days are so short even when the sun does shine that by 4 o’clock I am dreaming of what warming nurture I can distract myself with.
This soup came about after arriving at my sisters house of a dark and windy evening having been lost in Acton for 2 hours. I was a bit ratty and hungry but she’d said she would make soup and I was instantly calmed… the calm didn’t last long tho when she produced 3 onions, 1 enormous donkey carrot and a floppy leek and said that’s what we were working with. I was incredulous and instantly and silently rummaging in fridge draws and cupboards for lurking saviours.
I found a droopy bunch of celery, 1 courgette and a jar of delicious cooked coco beans and just like that the sun was shining on us once more. We made this simple Autumn hued bean soup and with a crunch loaf of sourdough the 5 of us feasted till our hearts content.
Ingredients:
2 leeks
3 carrots peeled
1 courgette
1 small bunch of celery
4 garlic cloves, roughly crushed and peeled
1 jar of cooked coco beans (El Navaricco are the best)
Best quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs fennel seeds
1 tbs chilli flakes
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tbs white miso paste
1 tbs vegetable bouillon
-Start by slicing all the vegetables into roughly the same size. I like quite chunky slices on the diagonal
-Slowly fry the leeks for 10 mins or so in plenty of olive oil with the bay, fennel, chilli and garlic – try not to let it brown and let the leeks flop out of their little ringlets
- Once the are floppy and sticking to the bottom add the other vegetables and let them slowly fry together for about 10 mins, you may need to add a little more olive oil. This frying will help the soup to have a smoky depth of flavour as the vegetables caramelise, and if the courgettes brown a little so much the better (just not the garlic)
- Add enough water to cover the vegetables, add the miso & bouillon and bring to a fast simmer, prop a lid half on half off and turn down the heat letting it simmer for 15 mins
- Rinse the beans to get rid of most of the jellylike liquid around them although keep some as it’s an umami rich thickener for the soup.
- Add the beans and cook together for 5 mins until all is steamy and hot.
- I like mine best with crusty bread and the lots of extra olive oil and salt on the top
This soup will keep you warm and cosy for quite a few days. I had some leftovers tonight that I wilted some large leaf spinach from the garden in and topped with smoked mackerel…it was deeeelicious.
