I said I'd post this recipe for Antipodes
recipe from Sophie Grigson
1 large onion, chopped
2 stickes of celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbls olive oil
400g (14oz) shelled fresh borlotti or haricot beans or 300g (11oz) dried beans, soaked overnight
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 2 parsley stalks tied together with string)
2 litres (3 ½ pints) chicken or vegetable stock)
1 head of curly endive or frisee lettuce, well rinsed, damaged leaves removed
Salt and pepper
Method –
Fry the onion, celery and garlic gently in the olive oil in a large saucepan until very tender, without browning.
Add the beans, bouquet garni and the stock
If using dried beans add an extra 7floz water
Bring to the boil and simmer until the beans are so tender they are beginning to collapse
Take off the heat and discard the bouquet garni
Liquidise enough of the beans to thicken the soup, but leave some chunky
Bring a pan of water to the boil
Set aside a few sprigs of endive / frisee for the garnish
Plunge the rest of the endive / frisee into the pan, bring back to the boil then drian immediately. And then chop it roughly
10 minutes before serving, reheat the soup, stir in the endive / frisee, salt and pepper (to taste).
Simmer for 1 – 2 minutes then serve, drizzling each bowlful with a trickle of olive oil and a sprig of endive / frisee
I used frozen borlotti beans, which I cooked on a rolling boil for 10 minutes, then drained and rinsed them and cooked them as per the recipe. I used about 1 ½ litres of water instead of the full 2 litres in the recipe.
