A true delicacy during the fruit and vegetable season is wide bean soup—a delicate, springtime dish that is incredibly simple and tasty. I’d like to share with you a few suggestions and my go-to, tried-and-true recipe.
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh fava beans
- 500 g young potatoes
- 3 cups of water – 750 ml (or broth)
- 100 ml whipping cream 30% (30% heavy cream)
- 1 carrot – about 120 g (carrot – about 120g)
- 1 onion – about 160 g (onion – about 160g)
- Two tablespoons each of olive oil and clarified butter
- A handful each of chopped dill and chives
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- spices: flat teaspoon of salt, half a flat teaspoon of pepper
Broad bean soup
First, sauté the carrot and onion.
Transfer two teaspoons of clarified butter and two tablespoons of olive oil into the saucepan that you intend to use to cook the soup. Add the chopped onion and sliced carrot to the hot fat once they have been peeled and cut. Everything should be fried for around ten minutes on a reduced burner power in a saucepan without a cover.
Pro Tip: You may also add two or three chopped garlic cloves towards the end of the frying.
Step2: Include the seasonings and potatoes
Once this period has passed, add half a kilogram of young potatoes to the saucepan, having cleaned and chopped into smaller pieces. Add half a flat teaspoon of pepper and one flat teaspoon of salt. Pour three glasses of water as well, preferably boiling water straight from the kettle to speed up the boiling of the soup. Put a lid on the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for approximately 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Advice: You can use vegetable or poultry broth in place of water or a half-and-half mixture with water.
Step 3: Simmer and remove the outer beans.
You can cook and peel half a kilogram of broad beans (in salted boiling water until soft) while the soup is cooking, or even ahead of time. I was left with 320 grams of wide beans after removing the skins. If you need them, follow these guidelines: methods for preparing wide beans.
Step 4: Add water. Add the components.
Add the cooked and skinned wide beans together with a generous handful of chopped dill and chives to the pot of soft vegetables. Just bring the soup to a boil while stirring it.
Advice: At this point, you may also include 1/2 cup of fresh, green peas. The soup is vegetable-rich and substantial. Increase the amount of “liquid” to your preferred level by adding up to 200 ml of water or vegetable or poultry broth.
Step 5: Lastly, add the cream.
Finally, stir in two teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 100 ml of room-temperature whipping cream (30%), or use the same quantity of cream (18%) for soups and sauces. Taste and adjust the soup’s seasoning. If needed, add extra pepper or salt. Serve broad bean soup with freshly baked bread for optimal flavor. Additionally, you can top the plates with a dollop of mascarpone cheese or sour cream. Goat cheese or feta cheese would also be excellent.
Advice: You can firm cream for soups and sauces ahead of time by adding cream to a glass with a ladleful of boiling soup.
