trevise and borlotti bean soup

zuppa di trevisana e borlotti

for 6

5 heads trevise

300 g cooked dried borlotti beans (see here), with their cooking liquid

olive oil

2 small red onions, peeled and roughly chopped

inner white heart of 1 head celery, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes

1 × 400 g tin peeled plum tomatoes, drained

2 small dried red chillies, crushed

Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

extra virgin olive oil

Cut the dark red tips of the trevise from the whole heads, about 5 cm, and put aside. Roughly chop the remaining base of the leaves and the tender part of the stems.

In a large thick-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add the onion and celery heart, and gently fry until soft and beginning to colour. Add all the trevise apart from the tips and the garlic and continue to fry, stirring. When the trevise becomes limp, add the potato. Cook gently for 5–6 minutes, then add the tomatoes, chilli and salt and pepper. Add 4 tablespoonfuls of the cooked borlotti beans and enough of their cooking liquid to cover. Simmer gently for half an hour.

Put half the remaining beans into a food processor with a few ladles of the juice and pulse to a rough purée. Add to the soup. It should be very thick, so add more beans if necessary. Season generously and add the parsley. Ladle into individual soup bowls and cover with the red tips of the trevise. Pour over each a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil.