To me, there are two rules of soup: It must be made in winter, and it must take a long time to cook. I love throwing a pile of veg into my slow cooker during the cold months, and letting it bubble away until I return from work to a warm and steamy soup-smelling kitchen.
But those rules go out the window for my beloved Tuscan Spinach and Bean Soup. It's quick and easy (quick enough that you can throw it together on a weeknight), and it's a summer soup, without being served cold, like Gazpacho.
I always make this soup when I've bought an entire bag of spinach, left it in the fridge, it starts to wilt, untouched. This recipe uses a whole bag, and it doesn't matter if it's not at its freshest.
Soup and salad is a complete meal at our house, and with only a few crisp lettuce leaves in the house and not much else, I decided to put them together with some croutons (from the crust of some stale rye bread) and my favourite salad vinaigrette.
This salad vinaigrette is friggin' amazing. Really. The Husband didn't even eat salad when I first met him, but he will now sit and devour a bowl of salad with this vinaigrette on it like it's a bucket of fried chicken.
Tuscan Spinach and Bean Soup
1tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 large carrot, diced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tin chopped tomatoes (those new tinned cherry tomatoes are particularly nice)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tin cannellini beans
1 package of spinach leaves, chopped
100g grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, heat up the oil and add the onion, garlic and carrot. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and oregano and cook for another 10 minutes.
Stir in the beans, and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat off, and add the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with ribbons of Parmesan and fresh basil.
Jen's Favourite Salad Vinaigrette
salt and pepper
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
75mL rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 tbsp hot water
Grind some salt and pepper into a shallow bowl. Add the mustard and vinegar, and mix to dissolve the salt and pepper. Slowly add the oil, whisking at the same time to create an emulsion. When it's really thick, add a spoonful of very hot water (from the kettle if it's on) to thin the vinaigrette out a little. Pour over crisp salad leaves and crunchy croutons.
