There are generally good-for-you soups and then there are the gourmet soups; the soups you eat at a restaurant and say: ‘this is the best soup I’ve ever had’. Usually those restaurant soups have been layered with flavours for hours (sometimes days!) using many different cooking techniques.
Needless to say, they’re very labour-intensive. This kale, white bean and fennel soup recipe has cracked the code on getting the most delicious flavours possible, marrying ‘good for you’ with totally gourmet, and with the least amount of hands-on work.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 head fennel, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
60–120ml extra-virgin olive oil (60ml for a smaller head of fennel and kale, 120ml for
larger veggies)
3 or 4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 400g cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2-4tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
1L chicken or vegetable stock, or bone broth
1 bunch fresh kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
Fresh lemon juice (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Method
Add the fennel, onion, oil and garlic to a large soup pot.
Place over a medium–low heat and mix the vegetables to coat with oil. Cook for
10 minutes, stirring periodically.
Add the beans and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the broth and increase the heat to high.
Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the kale and up to 250ml water to cover the vegetables, if needed.
Simmer five minutes more, until kale is tender.
Serve bowls of hot soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of parsley, if desired.
Recipe courtesy of Go With Your Gut by Robyn Youkilis, published by Kyle Books, £14.99
Photographer Ellen Silverman
