Mediterranean Roman Bean Soup Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN ROMAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic, cumin, cinnamon and pepper flakes and stir.
• Stir in sweet potato, turnips, string beans, broth, tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Add beans and simmer for 2 hours.
• Add green olives 5 minutes before serving.

MEDITERRANEAN BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven or medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaf, onions and herb bundle and season with a little salt and more pepper. Cook until soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Stir for 1 minute more. Add the stock and bring to a low boil.
• Add a few ladles of the soup to a food processor along with 1 can of beans and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the soup and stir to combine. Add the remaining can of beans and the kale and cook until the kale is wilted. Season with a hint of nutmeg. Add the cheese rind and simmer for 15 minutes at a low bubble to let the flavors combine. Adjust the seasonings.
• Remove the cheese rind, herb bundle and bay leaf from the soup. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and top with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of EVOO. Serve with bread for mopping.

MEDITERRANEAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups of the broth to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Add potatoes and carrots, cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• While potatoes cook, place oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add onions, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
• Add 1 cup of broth and bring to a boil.
• Add the cooked potatoes, carrots, and their liquid; stir in thyme and rosemary.
• In a food processor or blender, purée the beans with the final cup of broth.
• Add to the soup and bring to a boil.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust thickness with additional broth, if necessary; stir in the lemon juice.
• Serve with croutons or toasted bread as garnish.

MOROCCAN FAVA BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Skin the fresh favas: bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Drop the shelled fava beans into the boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently. Hold several beans in one hand and use your other thumb and forefinger to pinch off the eyes, have a bowl for the shelled favas close at hand and this will not take very long.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the leeks, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes, and add the turnips, potatoes, favas, water or stock, salt and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.
• Purée the soup using a hand blender or a food mill, or working in batches, in a blender, making sure that you place a towel over the top of the blender and remove the inner part of the lid to avoid hot splashes. Return to the pot, add the pepper, turmeric and chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve in wide soup bowls, garnished with cilantro leaves and with a drizzle of olive oil over each serving.