Ingredients for 6 people
1 lb (500 g) fresh “piattelle” beans
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
day-old country bread
1 tablespoon tomato purée (concentrate)
1 bunch black leaf kale, finely shredded
1 red onion, cut into thin rings
3 courgettes (zucchini), cut into rounds
extra-virgin olive oil
1 spring onion (scallion), finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Method
Boil the beans in a large pot of salted water with a few sage leaves until cooked. Remove the sage and set aside 2-3 ladlefuls of beans.
Press the remainder through a fine-mesh strainer to make a thick purée. Sauté the spring onion, celery and carrot in the oil in a saucepan.
Add the black leaf kale. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato purée diluted in warm water.
Add the courgettes and continue cooking for 30 minutes until tender. Add the bean purée. Cook over very low heat for another 30 minutes.
Place a layer of bread in a tureen and pour over the hot soup. Top with the whole beans that you set aside.
Wait until the bread has almost completely absorbed the soup. Divide into bowls, served with the red onion rings and a drizzle of oil.
Eat warm, but it’s also very good cold in the summer.