Zuppa di fagioli

by Ed Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 150g hot salami, diced in 1cm cubes
  • 1 red onion, cut into wedges
  • 2 sticks celery, sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 red capsicum, diced
  • ½ head fennel, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 9 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ bunch thyme, finely chopped
  • 2 cups white wine
  • 400g can diced tomatoes
  • 1L chicken stock
  • 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt flakes and freshly-milled black pepper
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 2 tsp capers
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1 Set a large saucepan over a moderate heat and fry the salami for 5 minutes, until lightly crisp. Add the onion, celery, carrot, capsicum, fennel, bay leaves, 6 cloves garlic, fennel seeds and thyme. Cook, stirring often, fo5 5 minutes, until softened.
2 Pour in the wine, simmer briefly, then add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, then add the chickpeas and beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Purée the parsley, capers, zest, juice, anchovies, remaining garlic and olive oil with a stick blender until smooth. Serve the soup with spoon of the parsley sauce.