White Bean, Sage and Ham Soup

Name: White Bean, Sage and Ham Soup
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 100 g (4 oz) soured cream or crème fraiche; 100 g (4 oz) soured cream or crème fraiche; pinch of coarse sea salt; pinch of white pepper; 1 leek, trimmed and sliced; 1 onion, peeled and sliced; 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley; 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh sage; 1 meaty ham bone, smoked or unsmoked, to taste; 250 g (½ lb) cannellini or haricot beans (dry weight), soaked overnight; 1 celery stalk, trimmed and sliced; 2.25 litres (4 pints) water; 250 g (½ lb) cannellini or haricot beans (dry weight), soaked overnight

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Modern Classics

By Frances Bissell

Published 2000

About

Ingredients

250 g (½ lb) cannellini or haricot beans (dry weight), soaked overnight
1 meaty ham bone

Gluten-free
Soup

Method

Put the soaked beans, ham bone, water and vegetables in a large saucepan, together with the sage and parsley stems. Bring to the boil, skim any foam from the surface, partially cover, and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove the ham bone and the herb stems. Blend the soup until smooth, sieve, if you wish, and return it to the saucepan. Thin the soup, if you like, with ham or vegetable stock