Description
This Simple Bean Soup from the legendary El Bulli restaurant is a rich and comforting vegetarian soup featuring tender cannellini beans simmered with aromatic herbs, garlic, and tomato passata. The soup is thickened with a portion blended smooth and brightened with a vibrant hazelnut and parsley picada, making it a wholesome and flavorful meal perfect for any season.
Ingredients
Scale
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion (or 2 small), finely chopped (~180g/6oz)
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried thyme)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried rosemary)
- 1 bay leaf, fresh (or 1/2 dried)
- 1/3 cup tomato passata
- 4 x 400g (14oz) cans cannellini beans, drained (or 2.5 cups dried white beans, cooked)
- 3 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade or low sodium
Picada (makes 4 tbsp):
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts with skins (or almonds)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
Instructions
- Sauté onion and herbs: Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped onion, fresh thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes until the onions are deeply golden brown and sweet, developing a rich flavor base for the soup.
- Cook tomato passata: Add the tomato passata to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let it cook gently for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomato thickens and darkens from a watery red to a rich, dark brown. This step intensifies the flavor and is essential for the soup’s depth.
- Simmer the soup: Stir in the drained cannellini beans followed by the vegetable stock. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles very gently and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the soup to thicken slightly.
- Blend to thicken: Transfer about 2/3 cup (150ml) of the soup into a jug or bowl suitable for an immersion blender. Blitz until smooth and then stir this purée back into the soup, which thickens and enriches the broth’s texture without overpowering it.
- Mix in the Picada: Just before serving, stir in 2 tablespoons of the prepared Picada. Taste the soup and adjust salt as needed, remembering that canned beans often already contain salt. Serve immediately for best flavor.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with 1 teaspoon of the remaining Picada for a fresh, vibrant garnish. Accompany with crusty bread such as easy artisan, no yeast bread, or French brioche for a complete meal.
- Prepare Picada: Preheat a small skillet over medium heat and toast the hazelnuts, shaking the pan frequently, until golden and fragrant. Transfer them to a clean tea towel and rub to remove most skins (omit this step if using almonds). Roughly chop the nuts, then place them in a container with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Blitz with a stick blender until you achieve a pesto-like texture with bits still visible. Use as directed in the recipe.
Notes
- Passata is a pureed, strain tomato product, thicker and smoother than canned tomatoes, often labeled tomato puree in the US.
- Any white beans like navy, lima, or butter beans work well. Colored beans will alter the soup color but still taste good.
- If using dried beans, soak them 5-24 hours, then boil and simmer with salt until nearly tender before adding to the soup.
- Vegetable stock quality is important; homemade is preferred for best taste.
- The amount of salt can vary depending on the beans used — adjust at the end for best flavor.
- For a non-vegetarian version, add clams or mussels in the last 5 minutes of cooking as per the original El Bulli recipe.
- The soup keeps well for up to 4 days; the Picada stirred in soup loses its vibrant green but remains flavorful. Fresh Picada for topping should be used within 2 days due to raw garlic content.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 11g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
