I love jarred beans, as the pulses are just so soft and creamy, and the cooking stock is (as one well known brands says) like "liquid gold". This makes them the perfect ingredient for making a hearty soup.
In this recipe, I've sweated down Spanish white onion and fennel, until it's lovely and soft, along with some fresh rosemary sprigs and bay to enhance the flavour.
The jarred beans, their cooking stock and additional stock are added and cooked for a little longer, before being blended (with the herbs removed) for a delicious velvety soup.
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Knob of butter (optional)
200g white onions (preferably Spanish)
125g fennel (excluding stalks and tough outer leaves)
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
500g jarred white beans and their cooking liquid
500-600ml of vegetable or chicken stock
Seasoning
- Cut the fronds from the fennel, then cut the bulb in half and remove the core.
- Top, tail and peel the white onion.
- Thinly slice both the fennel and onion.
- Heat the oil and butter (if using) in the bottom of a large pan.
- When the butter has melted, add the onions, fennel, rosemary and bay and cook over a low heat until the onion becomes very soft.
- Pour in 500ml of the stock, the beans and their cooking liquid.
- Bring to a rolling simmer, then turn down the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the rosemary and bay.
- Blend the soup and then adjust the consistency by adding more stock and seasoning as required.
