A recipe like this is about slowly building layers: the onion in butter, then the garlic, pancetta, tomato paste, rosemary, stock and, finally, the lemon juice and parmesan. It’s a simple dish, but very versatile and packed with big, bright flavour. It’s substantial enough to have as a meal on its own, with some bread and greens, perhaps, and the plum cake from here to follow. You can make it as a soup as I’ve done here, or hold back a little on the stock and serve it as a braised bean dish. It makes a beautiful side dish for roasted or barbecued meat, or a bruschetta or focaccia topping.
Drain the cannellini beans and add them to a large saucepan of water.
Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes or until the beans are tender.
Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add the onion.
Cook, stirring often, for 5–7 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic and pancetta and cook for 10 minutes or until aromatic and the pancetta is beginning to crisp.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
Pour in the stock or water, add the drained beans and rosemary stalks and bring to a simmer.
At this point, you can put the whole lot in a slow cooker for the day, but I like how leaving it on the stove on low for an hour or so reduces everything down a little and really intensifies the flavours.
You might need to top up the liquid if the beans get thirsty and soak up more than expected.
Serve the soup with a squeeze of lemon, a little grated parmesan and some crusty bread on the side.
Notes & Wine Advice
You can use 2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins of cannellini beans instead of the dried beans. They won’t need soaking or pre-cooking – simply drain and rinse them, then add them to the soup when you add the stock.