A tasty way to use White Beans & Mushrooms this Winter

The winter pleasures of a steamy cup of soup to warm up your belly. I know some of you might view soup as an entrée only, but it can be so much more. The difference depends on the type of soup (vegetable stock or cream base) and obviously the quantity of soup you eat. Although it is liquid, always keep in-mind the multiple ingredients in a soup can quickly add up. You will end-up consuming more Kilojoules (Kcals) than your average solid form meal.

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After my Avondale Winter Warmer experience and again at the Bastille Festival in Franschhoek. I simply fell in love with chef Reuben Riffel’s White bean & Truffle soup. However, my version of a White bean and Truffle soup can not even measure up to the taste of chef Reuben’s soup. I had to try my own version by using the following two key ingredients;

Cannelini Beans, large white beans that is very popular in Italy, and especially Tuscany. Cannellini beans are the reason Tuscan’s are referred to as “bean eaters”, {Mangiafagioli in Italian.} Cannellini beans are mild in flavor, but provide a few health benefits; low in fat, high in protein, high in fiber, high in Vitamin B and several other minerals. The next ingredient to add a little flavour to the soup…

Porcini & Truffle-infused oil; a small bottle with lots of flavour! The infused oil is not as rich as Truffle itself, but like most of you know. Truffle comes at a price, but for the purpose of this soup; the infused oil works perfectly. Okay, enough talking & time to cook! 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 x Can of Cannelli Beans
• 1 x Cup Portebelli Mushrooms
• 500g x Chicken stock (you may use vegetable stock)
• 2 x Garlic gloves (crushed)
• Truffle-infused oil
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

The first step is to drain the Cannelli beans and rinse well. Next pour the chicken stock in a sauce pan and turn the heat up to medium high. In a separate pan begin add the garlic & mushrooms and lightly brown.

Once the garlic & mushroom gives of warm aromas, {The best smell!} Proceed to the next step…

Pour the mushrooms into the warm stock, now add the beans. You can add a crack of black pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Leave to cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from stove and pour mixture into a blender (or bowl for stick-blender.)

Blend the mixture until  it has a smooth and creamy texture. The final step; pour creamy soup mixture back into the sauce pan. Bring to a boil and just before serving, finely grate some Pecorino cheese into the mixture and stir well.

Finally, pour into serving cups and the best part, drizzle a few drops of Truffle-infused oil over. Only a few drops is needed to give the hint of rich Truffle.