Soup Recipes > Bean Soup

How to make bean soup:
Generally associated with winter stews and soups, beans make for a filling and tasty soup which can also be served as a main meal with plenty of fresh home baked bread.



Ingredients

1 cup haricot beans (tinned or dried. If dried they need to be soaked.)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 leeks
2 sticks of celery
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium sized tomatoes skinned
2 1/2 pints chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
OR 6 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
(see measure conversions for more information)

Method

- If dried and soaked, cook beans until soft and reserve the cooking water.
- Peel and chop the onion and carrots and wash and chop the leeks and celery.
- Soften the onion in the olive oil.
- Add the other vegetables and cook until just soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes with the stock and a little bean water.
- Bring to the boil and then simmer until all the vegetables are cooked.
- Remove from the heat and tip in the beans.
- Season to taste.
- Stir in the basil or parsley.
- Reheat carefully and serve.


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Land For Food Production

Sat May 15, 2010 9:18 pm // 8 comments // granny_nuts


I wonder just how much land it would take to feed a family of, say, 4? I know that if my family didn't buy fruit and veg we wouldn't have enough to eat but is self sufficiency down to amount of land or method of growing? Last year I overcrowded my small veg plot with counter-productive results like mildew and snail infestation that went unnoticed until we came to pick the tomatoes (all holes!). I wonder if anyone has ever been totally self providing or whether the local market and barter played...