Fennel and Bean Soup with Parmesan
Hearty, warming, and a bit different to the usual carrot and coriander, this soup will liven up lunchtime midweek menus, and fill you with vitamins and fibre.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 5 banana shallots sliced
- 2 bulbs of fennel sliced
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- olive oil
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 400 g tin beans - cannellini butter, borlotti, or even chickpeas will work
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 50 g grated parmesan
- 100 g ciabatta or sourdough bread
- small tub greek yoghurt to serve
- 1 egg optional
Instructions
- Gently fry the vegetables in some olive oil over a low heat for five minutes, then braise, covered, for 30 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally, and adding a splash of water if needed.
- Gently dry fry the coriander seeds until they brown and release their spicy aroma, then crush with a pestle and mortar.
- Add the stock cube, crushed coriander seeds, the tin of pulses (including liquid), and 750ml of boiling water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, covered.
- Liquidise in a blender, or with a Savisto stick blender, and season.
- Crush the fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar.
- Cut the bread into 1cm cubes, and mix in a bowl with the parmesan, crushed fennel seeds, and a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Spread the cubes in a roasting pan and cook in the oven at 150 deg C for 10 minutes, until just crisp, but still chewy in the middle.
- Serve the soup with a dollop of greek yoghurt and a handful of croutons.
- Variation: to really make a meal of this, Jamie sometimes adds a poached egg to his soups. He doesn't detail it for this one, but I think it makes a really nice addition. Instead of the croutons, you could make a single crouton with a slice of the bread, in the same way, and float it on the soup, with the egg sitting on top!