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Tuscan Pot Soup with Garlic and Herb Ricotta Dumplings

by John Torode, Lisa Faulkner from John and Lisa’s Kitchen

Butter beans, carrots, leeks and cavolo nero mingle in this simple hearty Tuscan Pot soup. Served with crispy fried garlic and ricotta herb dumplings, this dish is a substantial feast for a weekend meal with family and friends.

From the book

John Torode, Lisa Faulkner

Introduction

We can’t tell you the number of times we’ve made this soup. The dumplings are so light and make it more substantial if you think soup by itself won’t fill you up. It’s often requested by our friends for lunch.

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Ingredients

1 leek, green part only, chopped
1 smallish onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
100ml olive oil, plus extra for frying the dumplings
2 bay leaves
¼ tsp fennel seeds
120g cavolo nero, shredded
100g Savoy cabbage, or other greens, shredded
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g tins of butter beans, in water
1 bouquet garni sachet
1 Parmesan rind (or similar hard cheese rind; optional)
1 tsp vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the ricotta dumplings:
300g ricotta
Handful of herbs (parsley, tarragon, dill), chopped
100g plain flour
50g Cheddar, finely grated
1 tsp mustard powder
Good pinch of white pepper
50g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

Method

Put the leek, onion, carrots and celery in a large pan with the olive oil and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and fennel seeds, cook for a minute, then stir in the cabbages and cook for a few minutes. Add the fresh and tinned tomatoes, as well as the beans with the water from the tin. Stir and season well, then drop in the bouquet garni, Parmesan rind, if using, and the vinegar. Add enough water to cover the ingredients (about 400ml) and simmer for 1 hour. When cooked, use a ladle to squash some of the beans.

Meanwhile, make the ricotta dumplings by mixing all of the ingredients together (except the Parmesan) in a bowl and forming into small balls about the size of a conker. Place the balls in a tray of the Parmesan and coat the dumplings.

Heat about a 2cm depth of olive oil in a frying pan, drop the dumpling balls in the hot oil and shallow fry, turning, until crisp. Drain.

Remove the bouquet garni from the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with a few dumplings and a grating of Parmesan.

Tip: You can put whatever you like in this soup. It lasts a couple of days and we just keep topping it up with extra stock and veggies.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

3 Ratings

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3 Comments

    default user avatar Jan Ford

    Really lovely soup, and quick and easy to make. Made it for lunch after watching the show.

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    default user avatar Chelsea Macc

    Fabulous soup delicious moorish

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    default user avatar Lyn

    Used the whole leek , why wouldn’t you.
    Cooked the dumplings in a hot oven that was already on baking bread.

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