Easter SunnyDay [Aubergine, Cannellini Bean and Ricotta Soup]
Some days can just become awesome with a little foresight. After recent discussions about garden plans and manure, Joel, Sophie and I organised a gardening play date which became glorious reality today.
We met up at the Farmers’ Market, bought coffee, watched a cooking demonstration, invested in plants and seed catalogues and then rode back to my place to talk about the massive garden I’m now guardian to. Long term plans such as where to put chook runs, fruit trees and water features were discussed over tea and snacks.
And then, I made soup.
Until recently, I’ve often stuck with recipes that I know off by heart, but years of eating the same old things are taking their toll. So I decided to branch out with a recipe for an Aubergine, Cannellini Bean and Ricotta Soup from a Jamie Oliver cookbook that I’d earmarked a week or two ago.
Initially, I thought the soup was going to be too bland, but the key is to use a lot of pepper and to add a squeeze of lemon juice when serving the soup. It turned out to be delicious and was ready just as Ianto Ware* rode up.
After eating we all looked at zines, drank more tea and planned where to plant my garden booty: rhubarb and gooseberry plants, strawberries (bargain: $2 for about 12 plants), rainbow chard, red cabbage and red orache (mountain spinach). My current favourite book is Joy Larkcom’s Creative Vegetable Gardening, so I’ll be trying to use what I’ve learnt from that book by combining the red colours of the cabbage and orache amongst the flower beds.
Anyway, an outing for rock and roll calls, so click through for the recipe as requested by Joel, Sophie, Ianto and Maggie.
* Bruised from manly behaviour and exceedingly humble
Aubergine, Cannellini Bean and Ricotta Soup
285g cannellini beans, soaked overnight^
4 large aubergines
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 pint vegetable / chicken flavoured stock
garnish
fresh ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil
more chopped basil and parsley
Rinse the soaked beans. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then simmer until beans are tender (an hour or more).
While the beans are simmering, roast the aubergines. Prick them with a knife and lay them whole on a baking tray in a very hot oven for 45 minutes. Once the aubergines are cooled, scrape the insides from the skin.
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan and fry the garlic, chilli, basil and parsley until the garlic is softened.
Add the aubergines, the cooked, drained beans and the stock to the pan. Bring the soup to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove half the soup, puree it and return it to the pot. Stir and season to taste.
Serve the soup with ricotta stirred through the soup, an extra sprinkling of chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice.
We ate our soup with beetroot and kalamata olive breads.
^ I added a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt whey to the soaking water and soaked the beans at room temperature.
