Silverbeet and cannellini soup

With winter quickly sneaking through the cracks of our windows and doors, I've been making a lot of different soups to warm our bones. When I think about it, they're probably my favourite thing to cook. I find it relaxing, standing in the kitchen of an afternoon chopping all of the vegetables up, and watching them  bubble away in a pot full of broth. The smell of the soup and the heat from the stove always seems to spread through the house nicely.

I've been mostly using some kind of root vegetable combination in each soup, but I bought a huge bunch of silverbeet at Rocklea Markets this morning and I thought this soup would be a good way to use the leafy vegetable and top up on our greens. You can't get a more healthier soup than this one.

I dished it up with some of my left-over cous cous and cashew soda bread.

Silverbeet and cannellini soup

Serves 4

2 x 400g tins organic cannellini beans

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 leek, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp thyme leaves

2 celery stalks, diced

1 carrot, diced

1kg silverbeet, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 ripe tomato, diced

1 litre vegetable stock

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Put one tin of cannellini beans and its liquid into a food processor and blend until smooth. Drain the other tin of beans and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek, garlic and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until soft and aromatic. Add the celery, carrot, silverbeet and tomato and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the silverbeet has wilted. Heat the stock in a seperate saucepan.

Stir the pureed cannellini beans and stock into the vegetable mixture. Bring to the boil and then reduce and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the drained beans and balsamic vinegar and stir until heated through. Season to taste.