Summertime - light soup time!

For a light meal in these last days of spring (or shall we say early days of summer), try the following bean soup. Delicious and easy to make!

1lb. dried Borlotti beans
1 small red onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stick, diced
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. of Roberta’s Roasting and Grilling Salt
5 tbsp. of Cosimo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White pepper

After soaking the beans in water for 24 hours, drain them, mix with two tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, add whole garlic cloves, cover with water and cook at low heat for 60 minutes until done.

In the meantime, sauté diced onion, celery and carrot in three tbsp. of olive oil for ca. five to ten minutes. The vegetables are supposed to be cooked, not browned. Mix with the tomato paste and add the cooked, drained beans. Cover with water and let simmer for 20 min. over low heat. Puree the mix, add some more water if the soup is too dense. Season with the herbed Roasting and Grilling salt. Serve with a dash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and freshly ground white pepper!