This is a deeply satisfactory and heart-warming soup for this time of year. The combination of pulses, vegetables and dairy make it a very balanced whole meal too. I like on occasion to use this type of bean, still rich in protein and fibre like the other types of beans, because they don’t need pre-soaking overnight. Here I am using the contents of two tins of black-eyed beans for a very convenient mid-week family lunch or supper but if you have the time, use dry beans.

If using dry beans, rinse under a running tap, put in a pan with cold water and bring to the boil, drain, and return to the pan this time with hot water from the kettle to cook for 30 minutes before adding them to the vegetables to cook all together.

Ingredients

For the soup

  • 2 tins of black-eyed beans drained
  • 50g Chorizo, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 red pepper, cut in small pieces
  • 1 potato, cut in small cubes
  • 150ml passata
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Litre chicken stock

For the feta cream

  • 50g Dodoni feta
  • 1 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 50ml full fat milk to thin

To serve
A pinch of dried oregano

Process

To make the feta cream, blitz the feta, Greek yogurt and milk in a bowl with a stick blender and reserve.

Bring a small frying pan to a medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the chorizo. Stir for 2-3 minutes for the sausage to release its beautiful rich paprika oil and remove from the heat.

Next, bring a large pan with another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium heat and add the onion. Sweat the onion until translucent and add all the rest of the vegetables. Stir for 2-3 more minutes to coat and add the drained beans. Stir again for 2-3 minutes and add the passata, bay leaf, chorizo (keep the oil to drizzle the soup with) and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, cover, and cook at a low heat for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables and beans are cooked through, adding a little water if necessary to thin the soup to your preferred consistency.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve drizzled with the feta, extra virgin olive oil, the reserved chorizo oil and sprinkled with some dried oregano.

Enjoy with some good crusty bread.