By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
TUSCAN BEAN AND ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
This one is a vegetarian’s delight incorporating all the rustic flavours of Tuscany, a region of Italy known for its delicious and hearty peasant dishes. The roasting of the cherry tomatoes is essential to complete the smoky flavours of this soup. Don’t eliminate the anchovies, you won’t even know they are there once the dish is completed and for best results use fresh rosemary and grate your own parmesan from a small block of cheese, don’t use that sawdust excuse for parmesan you find pre-packaged in most stores.
I vouch for this one….Enjoy!
Ingredients
250g ripe cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 large handful fresh basil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 750ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tins plum tomatoes
• 15ml tomato paste
• 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Parmesan cheese, grated
Method
- 1 Put the cherry tomatoes into a roasting tin and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add 2 cloves of garlic and a few shredded basil leaves. Toss to coat.
- 2 Roast in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until slightly charred. Toss during roasting. (Alternatively, fry them for a few minutes in a non-stick pan.)
- 3 Meanwhile, prepare the soup. Heat a thin layer of olive oil and sauté the onion for two minutes. Add the remaining garlic and the anchovies and sauté for a further two minutes.
- 4 Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary sprigs and two-thirds of the beans. Simmer together for 20 minutes.
- 5 Remove the rosemary and blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender or in a liquidiser.
- 6 Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the remaining beans, basil and a handful of Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- 7 Serve topped with the roasted tomatoes, more Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
