Recipes

A favourite from Henrietta Green. This haricot bean soup has a really gutsy flavour, thanks to the bacon and the blue cheese. Not for the faint-hearted.

Serving 8

    1 small hock of unsmoked bacon, weighing about 900 g/2 lb
    450 g/1 lb white haricot beans, soaked overnight in water
    2 tbsp olive oil
    1 large onion, chopped
    1 small white cabbage, finely sliced
    3 Wilija or other boiling potatoes, sliced
    1 turnip, sliced

To finish:

    3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
    1 small onion, finely chopped
    55 g/2 oz Roquefort, or other blue cheese (optional), crumbled
      freshly ground black pepper

Method

Put the bacon in a deep saucepan, add about 1.1l/ ½ pt water or just enough to cover and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave the bacon to stand in its liquor.

Meanwhile, drain the beans and put them in a saucepan. Add about 575 ml/1pt of water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Cover, simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Drain, reserving about 5 tablespoons of their liquor.

In another pan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and cabbage until soft. Strain about 1.1l/ ½ pt of the bacon liquor into the pan, add the potatoes and turnip and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked.

Meanwhile, skin the hock, trim off the fat and chop the bacon into bite-sized chunks. Add these to the soup once the vegetables are cooked, along with the beans and their liquor. Simmer for a further 5 minutes to reheat the beans and meat.

To finish, mix the garlic, parsley and onion together in a bowl and add this to the soup off the heat. Add plenty of black pepper and, if you think it can take it, stir in the cheese, a little at a time just to be on the safe side. Serve immediately.