This soup makes a nice starter when the weather is hot. You can use any kind of beans but white beans or chopped green beans are particularly good. I like to make it quite tart but you can vary the amounts of vinegar and sugar to suit your taste. Fresh herbs have a much milder taste than dried, so use a lot. Using a different combination of herbs will, of course, affect the taste but don't be afraid to experiment. Including a little mint might be nice, or perhaps some savoury. For details on how to peel tomatoes, check out my tomato soup recipe. The amounts of ingredients suggested here will make enough soup for four or five people.
Ingredients
1 and a half mugs of cooked beans
1 small cucumber
5 tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
1 large clove of garlic
4 or 5 sprigs each of basil, dill, coriander, parsley and celery leaves
A large pinch of red pepper
2 or 3 tablespoons of apple or grape vinegar
2 or 3 heaped teaspoons of sugar
Salt
2 mugs of water
Peel and grate the cucumber and finely chop the tomatoes. Mix
them with most of the water. Chop the herbs and garlic roughly and pound them
well with a pestle and mortar. You can add the red pepper at this stage. Dilute
the mashed herbs with 2 dessertspoons of vinegar and pour the mixture into the
soup. Rinse the bowl with a little more water to collect the last of the herb
juice and pour it into your soup. Add sugar and salt to taste. If you feel more
vinegar is necessary add another dessertspoon. Leave the soup in the fridge
for a couple of hours before serving.