Compare and contrast: your beloved feeding you oysters... or strawberries...
and now, that same scene with soup... Eeek!!! Let’s face it, soup just isn’t
sexy. Most of the time, it isn’t even good-looking.
I think the writer, Judith Martin, sums up the nature of soup
beautifully in this quote:
"Do you have a kinder, more
adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill?
Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished and stretches its resources
to give a hearty sustenance and cheer? Who warms you in the winter and cools
you in the summer? Yet who also is capable of doing honour to your richest
table and impressing your most demanding guests? Soup does its loyal best, no
matter what undignified conditions are imposed upon it. You don't catch steak hanging around when
you're poor and sick, do you?"
I think she is right. Soup is a friend with
an engaging personality, able to charm just about anyone, be they king or
pauper.
One of the things I love about soup is its ability to
surprise. It is capable of having that X-Factor, that Susan Boyle moment. Then, a
seeming bland bowlful - made from a handful of simple ingredients - will sing
out at the top of its voice, hitting all the right notes, and just blow you away.
For 4 servings you will need...
2 tablespoons extra
virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely
chopped
1 stick of celery, peeled
and finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 fat clove of garlic,
crushed
400g tinned white beans
such as Cannellini (rinsed and drained)
750mls good-quality
chicken stock (use vegetable stock if you prefer)
1 teaspoon finely grated
lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A tablespoon of finely chopped
fresh parsley (optional)
 |
| Magic beans! |
1
Place
the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, celery
and bay leaf. Lower the heat and cook gently for about 5 minutes until onion is
soft and translucent but has not taken on any colour. Add the garlic and cook
for a further minute.
2
Add
the beans, stock, lemon zest and lemon juice to the saucepan. When it has come
to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove the bayleaf before blending
the soup to a smooth liquid – a stick blender is the perfect tool for this. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and some
good crusty bread.
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