Mull of Kintyre and White Bean Soup
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At this time of year the cool begins to get to us ...but not enough to make
crack into the big reds just yet. So a great white like Rieslings or fresh
Semillons is just the trick to match to a recipe like this. Try either variety
with this tasty little number and you will see that the acid cuts through this
rich soup beautifully and creates palate harmony...aaahhhh!
Traditionally, butter beans are often used in the Scottish kitchen - both in soups and as a vegetable beside a plate of everyday mince and tatties. This soup is a beautifully flavoured bean soup topped with some grated Mull of Kintyre Scottish Cheddar-style cheese. I puree only about half the beans: this gives a natural thickness to the soup but leaves some whole beans for texture.
This is the sort of soup that will put hairs on your chest… or at least warm you up on a cold day.
N.B. Chickpeas can also be used here
350g Fresh/1 x tin dried butter beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large brown onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, squashed and chopped
1.2 litres hot chicken stock
2 thick sprigs of rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g Mull of Kintyre cheese, coarsely grated, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of Chopped Parsley to serve.
Remove the rosemary (and try to extract any leaves which may have dropped off). Using a hand-held electric blender, puree about half the soup, ensuring that some beans are left whole. Now add salt - and more pepper, if necessary - according to taste.
To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls (essential to have warm bowls), and top each bowl with some of the cheese and a drizzle of the oil and garnish with chopped parsley for colour. Drink with a cracking Germainc Riesling or Semillon or even a wee dram of single malt whisky from the Hebridean Isles of the west coast of Scotland. Amazing flavour combinations, try some today!
Traditionally, butter beans are often used in the Scottish kitchen - both in soups and as a vegetable beside a plate of everyday mince and tatties. This soup is a beautifully flavoured bean soup topped with some grated Mull of Kintyre Scottish Cheddar-style cheese. I puree only about half the beans: this gives a natural thickness to the soup but leaves some whole beans for texture.
This is the sort of soup that will put hairs on your chest… or at least warm you up on a cold day.
N.B. Chickpeas can also be used here
Ingredients:
(Serves 6)350g Fresh/1 x tin dried butter beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large brown onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, squashed and chopped
1.2 litres hot chicken stock
2 thick sprigs of rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g Mull of Kintyre cheese, coarsely grated, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of Chopped Parsley to serve.
Method:
Soak the beans overnight (if using fresh), then drain and rinse. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes. Then add the beans, hot stock and rosemary sprigs and season with black pepper (but no salt yet). Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender.Remove the rosemary (and try to extract any leaves which may have dropped off). Using a hand-held electric blender, puree about half the soup, ensuring that some beans are left whole. Now add salt - and more pepper, if necessary - according to taste.
To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls (essential to have warm bowls), and top each bowl with some of the cheese and a drizzle of the oil and garnish with chopped parsley for colour. Drink with a cracking Germainc Riesling or Semillon or even a wee dram of single malt whisky from the Hebridean Isles of the west coast of Scotland. Amazing flavour combinations, try some today!