Fava Bean, Tomato and Potager Herb Soup

This week, at Foodie Bugle Towers, we have been cooking with split fava beans from Hodmedod, a new East Anglian pulse company that is on a mission to reintroduce heritage varieties of beans and peas to the British table. Split dried fava beans are so easy to cook because you can boil them soft without having to pre-soak them overnight. After about 35-40 minutes in simmering hot water they will be ready for turning into this soup. They were once a staple diet ingredient in the British diet and are still a major farm crop.

This simple soup recipe also uses Liz Knight’s delicious Forage Fine Foods Potager blend of spices ~ inspired by the scents and flavours of traditional British herb gardens, this mix includes lovage, hyssop, lavender, summer savory, rosemary and thyme.

Ingredients to serve 4 people

250 g Hodmedod’s split fava beans, pre-cooked till soft {35-40 minutes in simmering hot water}

Olive oil

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 heaped teaspoon of Forage Fine Foods Potager Herb blend

Sea salt and pepper

1 litre of homemade vegetable or chicken stock

To serve

Crusty bread

Method

Set the pre-cooked fava beans aside after boiling and draining, covered with foil.

In a soup pot heat some olive oil and heat the tinned tomatoes. Add the potager herbs, sea salt and pepper and stir well. When the tomatoes come to near boiling point, turn down the heat and let them simmer gently for around 10 minutes. They will reduce and their flavour become more pronounced.

Add the fava beans, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the stock, mix well and cook until the stock is hot. Blend the soup using a stick blender. If you want it very smooth then sieve it into another pot and serve hot with warm bread.

Similar Posts