Saturday, August 14, 2010

Adaptable Bean Soup


I've wanted to go to the Eveleigh Farmers Markets at Carriageworks for a long time now, and yesterday, I finally got my act together and went! I'm glad I did, as it's a very tidy operation, and all the stall holders are polite & eager, and the produce is super diverse. It's not all about fresh fruit & veg though, there is ace coffee, and any number of tasty treats to eat for breakkie...young master Wolfe scoffed a banana bread star from bird cow fish, and Mez & I shared some Billy Kwongs steamed egg & veg pancakes and a serve of pork dumplings too. We were particularly hungry and so we also polished off a steak sambo each.

As we made our way around, I couldn't take my eyes of a big bunch of rainbow chard, and in the end bought a couple of bunches, thinking we might have it braised with chilli & garlic with some polenta for lunch. In the end, I couldn't be bothered with standing over polenta for an hour, and whipped up this "adaptable bean soup" I'd once seen on a Nigel Slater show.

I used:
1 brown onion
3 carrots
one big bay leaf (or two smaller ones)
a bunch of rainbow chard (divided into stems & leaves)
1 litre chicken stock
2 cans of cannelini beans
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan



And this is how it's done:
I chopped up the onion and sweated it in a glug or two of olive oil til the onions were translucent, then I added the carrots, chopped chard stems & the bay leaf. I fried these off for a minute or two before adding the stock (I used to always make my own, but since Wolfe came along, AC Butchers stock is my standby, and it's really good!) and the beans. Bring up to the boil, then lower heat so it simmers away. After about 15 mins or so, I add the shredded chard leaves, and allow them to wilt. That's it. Season to taste, and serve with a grating of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, and maybe some crusty bread! Yum.

You could omit the carrots, and add a head of cauliflower instead, and maybe a leek, and it'd still be as good. Sometimes I swap chard for cavolo nero and add bacon to the onion, and that is super tasty too. See it IS adaptable!!!


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