Silky White Bean Soup, Tomato-Basil Relish
Ingredients
- For the Soup
- 1 ½ cupsnavy beans
- 4bay leaves
- 12black peppercorns
- 6 sprigsfresh thyme
- ¼ cupextra virgin olive oil
- 2celery stalks, chopped
- 4shallots, chopped
- 6garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 cupsWhite Vegetable Stock (page 74)
- 1 cupAlmond Milk (page 54)
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- For the Relish
- ¼ cupfresh basil leaves
- 2Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoonswhite balsamic vinegar
- Cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
Method
- Make the soup: Rinse the navy beans and soak overnight in enough water to cover them by 2 inches.
- The next day, drain the beans. Wrap the bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme in a piece of cheesecloth and tie the packet with twine. Set it aside.
- Warm a stockpot over medium heat and then add the olive oil, celery, shallots, and garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the stock, beans, and the reserved spice packet. Cook until the beans are soft, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the spice packet.
- Reserve 1 cup of the soup. Pour the remaining soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend on high speed until very smooth, about 1 minute. Adjust the thickness with some of the reserved broth and the almond milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Make the relish: Stack the basil leaves, roll them into a tube, and slice them on an angle to create thin ribbons. Place them in a small bowl. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and vinegar and then season to taste with black pepper. Stir and drizzle with the olive oil.
- To serve the soup, ladle it into bowls and top with some of the relish.
Notes
This heartwarming and hearty soup lends itself to a colder day. Note that you will need to presoak the beans overnight before you can prepare the soup, so plan ahead. Chef Conny recommends using white balsamic vinegar instead of the traditional red to keep the soup's color muted.