richard The question mark is there because if eaten immediately this is a thick wholesome soup, but if left in the fridge overnight and eaten cold, it miraculously transforms into a tasty bean salad. Two different foodstuffs for the price (and effort) of one. Well bargain, innit.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20ish minutes
Skill level: very easy
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- dried butter beans – soaked, cooked and drained – 350g
- 2 cloves of garlic – chopped
- extra-virgin olive oil – 8 tbsp
- vegetable bouillon – 250ml
- chopped parsley – 3 tbsp
- sea salt and black pepper
Pour the oil into a suitable soup pan and gently saute the garlic to a light gold colour.
Add the butter beans, season with salt and pepper and cook covered for 5 minutes over a medium heat.
Remove about a teacupful of beans and liquidise to a paste.
Return to the pan of remaining beans and add the bouillon.
Simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.
Serve with some toasted crusty bread drizzled with olive oil.
Verdict: Very good in both its soup and salad guises. Obviously, if you prefer you could add extra stock/water for a more liquid soup.
Drink: Co-op organic ale.
Entertainment: The frustratingly equivocal ‘Cloverfield‘ on terrestrial TV which sent us to bed with far too many unanswered giant-Manhattan-eating-monster questions.
Are these by any chance Spanish butter beans from a small supermarket in a tiny village north of Valencia, purchased along side a pair of socks and a bottle of cava? Or did you get them down the road?
Ho Dirk
Actually they were given to us by a nomadic crazy lady who turns up on our doorstep from time to time demanding Campari and shelter for the night.