White bean soup with smoked eel
Creamy white bean soup with tender beans, homemade beef broth, and pieces of smoked eel is a heartwarming, rustic dish perfect for cool autumn evenings. Slow-stewed beef and braised vegetables provide deep flavor; the soup is smooth puréed and finished with a splash of cream for extra smoothness.
Ingredients · Servings 6
- 1 kg soup meat
- rinse the greens of 2 leek stalks well
- the leaves of 1 bunch of carrots rinsed well
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf & thyme)
- 2 stalks of leek, coarsely chopped
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 50 g butter
- 800 g large white beans or broad beans
- 300 g smoked Oosterschelde eel, in pieces
- 100 ml room
Method · 1 h
- First, make the broth. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the soup meat and let it simmer briefly until foam rises to the surface.
- Meanwhile, tie the vegetables (except the onion) together.
- Drain the boiling water and rinse the meat thoroughly under cold running water. Place the meat back in the cooking pot and fill the pot with cold, clean water.
- Add a pinch of salt, the onion, the tied-together vegetables, and the bouquet garni.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat when the broth boils and let it simmer gently over low heat for at least 2 hours.
- Remove the meat, vegetables, and herbs from the broth.
- Gently sauté the white part of the leek and the onion in a knob of butter until translucent. Add the beans and strain in the stock. Season with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove a few tablespoons of white beans from the soup; you will use them later as a garnish. Ladle a few tablespoons of broth over the beans so they do not dry out.
- Blend the soup and bring it back to a boil briefly. Taste to see if the soup needs any extra pepper or salt.
- Divide the pieces of eel and white beans among preheated soup bowls. Ladle the soup over them and finish with a drizzle of fresh cream.
