
250 g/9 oz dried cannellini beans, soaked in cold water overnight and drained | |
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1/2 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped | |
1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stick, chopped 1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped | |
50 g/2 oz prosciutto 1/2 Savoy cabbage, shredded 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped | |
2 potatoes, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons tomato purée | |
1. | Put the beans in a saucepan, add cold water to cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours until tender. |
2. | Heat the olive oil in another pan, add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, parsley and prosciutto and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until lightly browned. |
3. | Add the cabbage, Swiss chard and potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. |
4. | Stir the tomato purée with 300 ml/ 1/2 pint of the bean cooking liquid in a bowl, then stir into the pan of vegetables and prosciutto. |
5. | Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. |
6. | Meanwhile, drain the beans, pass them through a food mill, then stir them into the vegetable mixture and simmer for a further 10 minutes. |
7. | Place the bread in a soup tureen, ladle in the soup and leave to stand in a warm place for about 20 minutes so that most of the liquid soaks into the bread. Drizzle with olive oil before serving. |
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