White Bean & Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large carrots, 2 finely chopped, 1 roughly chopped
4 large sticks celery (and leaves), 2 finely chopped, 2 roughly chopped 
4 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf 
Few sprigs thyme (just the leaves)
2 tomatoes, peeled, roughly chopped 
4 garlic cloves, peeled, bashed, chopped 
1 tsp red pepper paste (tatlı/sweet)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley 
2 vegetable stock cubes OR 1 tub fresh vegetable stock topped up to 2.5 ltr with boiling water
2 cans washed and drained cannellini beans or 500g cooked cannellini beans (250g dried beans, soaked overnight and then cooked in fresh water for an hour or so)
Salt+pepper to taste

METHOD

Add olive oil to large soup pan on med-low heat. Add onions, soften for 8-10 mins (turn heat down if they’re browning, they should turn translucent). 

Add finely chopped carrots, celery, bay and sauté for another 8-10 mins (add a little more oil if you think necessary). 

Add tomatoes and garlic and soften for a couple of mins before adding the red pepper paste, then the chunky carrots, celery (and leaves), potatoes and thyme leaves, coating everything in the softened veg and oils. 

Add beans, stir well but gently, add parsley, stock, bring up to boil, turn right down, put lid on and simmer for 35-40 mins until potatoes have softened. 

Let soup rest with lid on for 20-30 mins before serving. 

The trick is to gently mash a few of the potatoes to give it a creamier texture (“biraz meladalansın”) as my mum says).

Serve with pul biber, fresh parsley, lemon.

source : #melizcooks #kurufasulye