Kidney Bean & Vegetable Soup

Both dried and canned kidney beans are available throughout the year. True to their name, these popular beans are kidney shaped and are especially good in simmered dishes where they absorb the flavours of seasonings and the other foods with which they are cooked

Ingredients

• ¼ cup dried maitake or shitake mushrooms (soaked in 1 cup water 15 minutes)
• 1 x 3inch piece of kombu seaweed (soaked along with the mushrooms)
• 2 tbsp. water or vegetable stock
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 small leeks very thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup tomato passata
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large stalk celery
• 2 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1 sachet miso bouillon stock or vegetable stock cube in 3 cups of hot water

Instructions

Bring the kettle to a boil and add the ingredients for the miso bouillon or stock cube into a measuring jug and set aside. In a pot, warm the 2 tbsp water or stock and add the garlic and leeks and the Italian seasoning. Let sweat for five minutes. Add the tomato passata and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot, celery, kidney beans, reconstituted mushrooms and kombu seaweed with the soaking water and the stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to low simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the kombu. Take two cups of the soup and blend to a cream and then add back to the pot.

Note: If using shitakes, after soaking, slice and discard the stem.