Twelve-bean soup

I’m naming this twelve-bean soup because that’s what I called it in Canada. Here in the UK, I have only ever found ten-bean mix. (I’m not sure which two types of beans have been omitted, but the soup seems none the worse for their absence.) Similar to fasoulada, twelve-bean soup benefits from a good slug of olive oil near the end of the cooking time. It finishes the soup, giving it a lovely creamy consistency.

Twelve-bean soup
(serves 4-6)

• 250g dried mixed beans, soaked overnight
• 1 stalk rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, sliced crosswise
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 400ml passata
• olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Drain the soaked beans and transfer to a soup pot. Cover generously with water, add the rosemary stalk and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature and simmer until the beans are just tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
2. Heat the oil in the empty soup pot over a medium flame. Add the onions, celery and carrot and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Now return the beans to the pot, along with the passata and enough cooking liquid to bring the soup to the consistency you like. Simmer 15 minutes, add a slug of olive oil and cook five minutes more. Season to taste.

Tags: beans, dairy-free, gluten-free, rosemary, vegan, vegetarian