French Bean Soup recipe

Many French Beans loose their texture when frozen. So, what do you do with that glut of them in August and September? Our French Bean Soup is the perfect answer. Tasty and nutritious, it freezes perfectly.

How easy to cook?	Very easy, no special experience required.
How long to cook?	Preparation and cooking time is about an hour.
Does it freeze?	Freezes extremely well, the taste improves.
How many servings?	This recipe makes six soup servings.
Special equipment?	A large pan. This soup tastes best when liquidised with a food processor.

INGREDIENTS	Metric/ Imperial	US
French (filet) beans	250 g	9 oz
Broad beans or peas	100 g	3½ oz
Vegetable stock	1½ litres / 2½ pints	6½ cups
Tomato puree / paste	2 tablespoons /60 g	2 tablespoons
Potato	1 medium
Onion	1 medium
Ripe tomatoes	4 medium
Garlic	3 cloves
Chopped parsley	2 tablespoons fresh, 2 teaspoons dried
White wine	5 tablespoons
Olive oil	2 tablespoons / 60 ml
Salt and pepper	To taste

Top and tail and peel the onion then roughly chop it.

Add the olive oil to a pan on a medium heat. Add the onions and fry them for 12 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. The idea is to soften the onions rather than turn them brown.

Prepare the ingredients on the left while the onions are frying as follows:
Roughly chop the French Beans, tomatoes, potatoes and garlic as shown in the picture on the right.

Add all the ingredients (including the fried onions) to a large pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave the soup to simmer for 50 minutes.

Liquidise the soup in a food processor; you may need to do this in two batches. Re-heat the liquidised soup and taste for seasoning (salt and pepper). Serve into warm bowls with some some bread.

OCT 08

French Bean Soup Recipe