Jonny69
07-04-2008, 19:57
This can make either a soup or a bean casserole but I chose to make a soup this time. All you meat lovers out there can throw in some sausages, meatballs or bacon and it'll just add to the great flavour. If you want to make the casserole version simply don't add as much water, just a splash to keep it moist while the beans bubble away.
Ingredients:
1/3 of a 500g of mixed beans (I used a 10-bean pack from Waitrose)
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes or 2-3 fresh chopped
1/2 leek or 1/2 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 pint of water
Healthy pinch of salt, pepper, mixed herbs and a tiny pinch of chilli
The beans have to be soaked over night so before you go to bed put them in a bowl and cover them with cold water and leave them until the next night. Drain the water off and they look absolutely beautiful, all different colours:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/beansoup/IMG_2814.JPG
You then have to boil them rapidly for 10-15 minutes in unsalted water and this part is as critical as the soaking because some of the beans are poisonous apparently. Personally I've never had a problem but meh. After the boiling allow them to simmer in the water for about an hour, drain and replace the water with a fresh pint of boiling water. Add to that the tomatoes, leeks/onions, garlic and seasoning and let it simmer for a further 1/2 hour or so and it's ready to serve.
You can have it by itself with some crusty bread or like me, a slightly disjointed way, with a lightly over-boiled egg and a ham sandwich:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/beansoup/IMG_2826.JPG
Jonny's top tip: To make life easier with the beans simply use two tins of cooked beans like borlotti, cannellini, haricot, mung, aduki, butter beans or kidney beans. Simply drain, rinse and add :)
And finally, how about some more beans Mr. Taggart? I'd say you've had enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dm9rN6oTs :D
Ingredients:
1/3 of a 500g of mixed beans (I used a 10-bean pack from Waitrose)
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes or 2-3 fresh chopped
1/2 leek or 1/2 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 pint of water
Healthy pinch of salt, pepper, mixed herbs and a tiny pinch of chilli
The beans have to be soaked over night so before you go to bed put them in a bowl and cover them with cold water and leave them until the next night. Drain the water off and they look absolutely beautiful, all different colours:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/beansoup/IMG_2814.JPG
You then have to boil them rapidly for 10-15 minutes in unsalted water and this part is as critical as the soaking because some of the beans are poisonous apparently. Personally I've never had a problem but meh. After the boiling allow them to simmer in the water for about an hour, drain and replace the water with a fresh pint of boiling water. Add to that the tomatoes, leeks/onions, garlic and seasoning and let it simmer for a further 1/2 hour or so and it's ready to serve.
You can have it by itself with some crusty bread or like me, a slightly disjointed way, with a lightly over-boiled egg and a ham sandwich:
http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/cooking/beansoup/IMG_2826.JPG
Jonny's top tip: To make life easier with the beans simply use two tins of cooked beans like borlotti, cannellini, haricot, mung, aduki, butter beans or kidney beans. Simply drain, rinse and add :)
And finally, how about some more beans Mr. Taggart? I'd say you've had enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dm9rN6oTs :D