Creamy White bean soup

Need to whip up a delicious, impressive, easy soup in a hurry? This creamy white bean soup can be thrown together in just a few minutes. In fact, setting up the ingredients will take longer than the prep!

Chances are, everything you need to make it is already in your larder.

… except maybe for the black truffle.

But, that wonderful indulgence isn’t absolutely required in order for this to be a perfect first course or, with some crusty bread and a salad, a very satisfying lunch.

Go for small sprigs of herbs. They add a wonderful, complex flavor but can become overpowering.

Ingredients:

• a glug of olive oil or a knob of butter

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 long stalk celery, peeled and sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 2 cans cannelloni beans + more if you want some whole beans in your soup

• 4 cups chicken, or chicken-less stock

• a sprig of rosemary

• a few sage leaves

• 1 bay leaf

• a bit of freshly grated nutmeg

• a wide strip of orange peel, all white pith removed

• kosher salt and white pepper to taste

• optional: a dash of heavy cream or nut milk

For the garnish:

• some shaved black truffle and/or a swirl of truffle oil

• snipped chives

Method:

• Warm the oil or butter in a dutch oven. Add the onions and celery and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

• Add the beans, the stock, the orange peel, and all the herbs and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

• Remove the herbs and the orange peel.

• Purée the soup with an immersion blender, or by transferring to a food processor.

• Taste for salt. Depending upon the saltiness of your stock and your beans, you may not need any.

• Add a dash of white pepper, to taste.

• Grate a little nutmeg over the soup, to taste. (The flavor of grated whole nutmeg is so much better than the pre-ground stuff.)

• It’s not at all necessary, but you can add a dash of cream (or your favorite nut milk) for extra creaminess, if you’d like.

• Stir the soup and re-heat it if it’s cooled down.

• Ladle it into bowls. Finish with a little swirl of truffle oil over the top. (Don’t stir it through, just let it sit on top looking pretty.) If you’re the proud owner of a black truffle, grate a little over the top of each bowl.

• Finish with a bit of snipped chives and serve.