Preparation time
overnight
Cooking time
over 2 hours
Serves
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the beans
- 200g/7oz cured, salted and cubed lardo
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g/7oz dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 shallot, peeled and cut in half
- 1 stick celery, cut in half
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut in half
- 1 small fennel bulb, cut in half
- sprig rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
For the soup
- 30g/1oz soft lard, or the dripping from a roast pork dish
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 100ml/3½fl oz strong chicken stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 1 slice stale sourdough bread, cut into cubes
- 100g/3½oz Parmesan cheese
- 3 wafer-thin slices lardo
- fennel tops, finely chopped
Method
-
To cook the beans, put a large pan on a medium heat and sweat the lardo and garlic for 5 minutes, until the lardo is crispy and the fat has rendered out.
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Add the beans, vegetables and herbs and cover with water. Cook gently for 1–2 hours, or until the beans are soft.
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To make the soup, heat the soft lard in another large pan over a low heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and leek and cook for 20 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add the chicken stock and a ladle of the beans and cooking liquor and cook for a further 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
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To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with the cubes of bread, a piece of wafer-thin lardo, and sprinkle over the Parmesan and fennel tops.