zuppa di fagioli borlotti e verdure
I went to the supermarket committed to making borlotti bean and vegetable soup and decided winter squash would be the perfect addition.
I sound like a broken record but every time I see winter squash varieties in Italy, I gasp in amazement.
They’re huge!
Most of them look like some relative of the butternut squash that I’m used to seeing back in America but not exactly like those small, shiny, perfect gourds that I am accustomed to.
These look alive, like they are still growing out the earth and onto the shelves, complete with warts and dirt and deep ridges. I’m not sure what types of knives are hiding in other apartments in Italy, but none of the ones in my kitchen would make a dent in these beasts.
Thankfully, some stores sell packages of squash already peeled and cubed, or my preference is when they sell it in chunks, similar to when you buy a quarter of a watermelon wrapped in plastic wrap.
I’m cooking with squash about the same way I was in America, by putting it in everything! For example, this borlotti bean and vegetable soup. This is a great, cozy soup to make during the winter months.
Along with the base of onions, celery, and carrots, squash adds a lovely sweetness. The only thing I bought for my Italian apartment kitchen was an immersion blender that I found at a local variety store on a Black Friday sale. I love to partially puree my soups to give just a hint of creaminess.
For this soup I used dried borlotti beans, also known as cranberry beans. It’s worth it to use dried beans, otherwise canned beans might be too soft and could disintegrate in the soup. You want the bean to retain a little bit of its body and hold its own next to the vegetables, but still have a soft and fresh bean-like texture.
It’s also important to note that dried beans need to be soaked overnight in cold water, so make sure to plan ahead when cooking with them!
To make the soup, I cook the beans in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. I then add the cubed squash to the pot with the beans and let them simmer together until softened, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile in my heavy-bottomed soup pot, I sauté the onions, celery, and carrots along with some salt, pepper, dried thyme, fresh rosemary and chopped sage leaves. Any combination of fresh and dried work well for those herbs because they are of the woody variety and can hold up well being added in the early stages of a soup, in dried or fresh form.
I then ladle half of this bean, squash, and bean broth mixture into the soup pot. And using my trusty immersion blender, cream the remainder of beans and squash in their cooking liquid until smooth.
I add this into the soup along with some water. You can add more or less water, depending on how thick your soup is looking so far, and if you like a thinner, more broth-y style soup, or not. Bring it to a simmer and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Stir in a handful of baby spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can top a bowl of borlotti bean and vegetable soup with crispy pancetta, or shavings of parmesan. I always suggest serving soup, and frankly everything, with crusty Italian bread or red onion focaccia.
Borlotti Bean and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Borlotti Bean and Vegetable Soup
Course: Primi Piatti6
servings10
minutes1
hour10
minutesIngredients
250g dried borlotti beans *see note
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
1 tsp fresh sage chopped (or ½ tsp dried)
½ tsp fresh rosemary leaves chopped (or ¼ tsp dried)
100g baby spinach
Directions
- Add beans to medium saucepan with 1.5L water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large soup pot set over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes.
- Add garlic and herbs, cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Turn off heat.
- After beans have cooked for 30 minutes, add squash cubes and continue cooking another 15 minutes until tender. Remove pan from heat.
- Ladle half of the beans, squash and liquid into soup pot. Transfer remaining mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pan to blend until smooth. Transfer puree to soup pot.
- Heat soup over medium-high heat until gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add about 200ml water, or more or less, to achieve your desired consistency. Stir in spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- * Dried beans must be soaked overnight. Place in bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Leave at room temperature and soak overnight. Drain.
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