Apart from sipping on a cup of soup, celebrated architect Johann Slee enjoys staying warm in winter with a nice bottle of red wine (Bobbejaanberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is a firm favourite).
He loves this no-nonsense soup recipe by Hanna, a family friend, and notes that it’s best served with chunks of fresh bread from De Oude Bank Bakkerij in Stellenbosch. We’d serve it in a bowl by ceramicist Christo Giles (R230).
Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, peeled and chopped
• 250g red beans, cooked
• 250g lentils, cooked
• 250g chickpeas, cooked
• 500g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced in pennies
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 litres chicken stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and lightly brown the onion before adding the beans, lentils and chickpeas. Give the vegetables a minute or two to braise gently in the olive oil before adding the tomatoes and carrot. Add the garlic and the stock and bring to a soft simmer. Boil the soup for about 10 minutes before removing it from the heat.
Pour half the soup into a food processor and pulse until it is completely smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and stir into the rest of the soup. Heat and season before serving with a generous helping of freshly chopped parsley.
NOTE: Use tinned beans, lentils, chickpeas and tomatoes (don’t tell the foodies), and add sliced chorizo for variation.
