Bean & Escarole Soup

• half pound dried white beans, such as cannelloni
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stick
• half onion
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1-2 small dried chillies, de-seeded and crumbled
• a handful of basil leaves, torn
• a handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 6-8 escarole leaves, roughly torn
• 2 ounces grated parmesan, plus more to serve
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water.
2. Drain beans and discard the water. Bring to the boil in a large pan of fresh water with the whole carrot, celery stick and half onion.
3. Boil fast for 10 minutes to remove toxins, skim off impurities then reduce to a simmer for an hour or more (depending on freshness of the beans).
4. When the beans are soft, discard the vegetables. Remove a quarter of the beans, puree and then return them to the pan. This will thicken the soup and give it a silky texture.
5. Fry the garlic and chilli in olive oil and cook without browning. Add the basil, parsley and escarole and cook for 1 minute to wilt.
6. Add all to the beans pot. Add grated parmesan and salt and pepper. and serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and shavings of extra parmesan.

white beans, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, parmesan, olive oil, salt

Taken from food52.com/recipes/19699-bean-escarole-soup (may not work)