The absolutely dreadful British summer is nearly officially over. However, it ended for us in July…maybe even June. I cannot remember. After a glorious spring, the temperatures have struggled to get over 20 degrees and I changed the summer eiderdown for the winter eiderdown this morning. A record.
The only bright spot is that all the vegetables in the garden need picking and eating and the weather is perfect for soup.
Usually this is a light and summery soup made with basil and chervil. However, yesterday we were inspired by the weather to make a winter version.
Winter Bean and Tomato Soup
Print recipe | Serves | 5 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 5 hours |
| Total time | 5 hours, 5 minutes |
| Meal type | Barley, Cumin, Lentil, Shallots, Tomatoes |
| Season | Winter |
Ingredients
- 6 big tomatoes
- Masses of green beans or runner beans
- 2 shallots
- Vegetable stock
- Olive Oil
- Hand full of lentils
- Hand full of barley
- Cumin
- Chili flakes
- Mustard seed
- Vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
| 1 | Sautee the shallots in the olive oil for a good 10 minutes. |
| 2 | Add chopped beans and tomatoes and stir around in the oil. |
| 3 | Add the barley and the lentils and cover with the vegetable stock. |
| 4 | Cover and bring to the boil and then lower the temperature and simmer for 30 minutes or until the barley and the lentils are done. This takes 10 minutes in a pressure cooker. |
| 5 | Blend the soup with a hand blender. |
| 6 | In a separate little pot, heat up about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds. |
| 7 | Turn the heat up high and wait for the seeds to pop. |
| 8 | Remove from the heat and add a spoon of cumin seeds and a spoon of chili flakes. |
| 9 | Immediately pour this mixture on the soup. |
| 10 | Stir and serve to warm your heart on a cold summer evening. Serve with gutsy sourdough bread. |