Zuppa di Fagioli e Castagne
A hearty Lucanian mountain soup made by slow-simmering white beans and sweet dried chestnuts with garlic, rosemary, and olive oil.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 75 min
- Total
- 95 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy-bottomed pot
- •Small frying pan
- •Colander
- •Wooden spoon
- •Ladle
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- fat
- 9 g
- carbs
- 68 g
- fibre
- 14 g
- protein
- 16 g
- calories
- 410 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Drain and rinse the soaked white beans and dried chestnuts thoroughly.
- 2
Place the beans, chestnuts, and bay leaves into a large heavy-bottomed pot.
- 3
Pour over the water until the ingredients are covered by five centimetres.
- 4
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and skim off any foam.
- 5
Lower the heat, cover partially, and simmer gently for one hour until tender.
- 6
Warm the olive oil in a small pan with the garlic and rosemary.
- 7
Fry gently over low heat until the garlic turns golden and fragrant.
- 8
Remove from the heat and stir in the sweet pepper powder.
- 9
Pour the fragrant warm oil mixture directly into the simmering soup pot.
- 10
Season with the fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- 11
Simmer uncovered for fifteen minutes until the broth is rich and velvety.
Chef's tips
Ensure both the beans and dried chestnuts soak for at least twelve hours to cook evenly. For a thicker texture, lightly mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot before finishing.
Ingredient substitutions
- dried chestnuts → vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts, added during the final twenty minutes of simmering
- peperone crusco powder → sweet Hungarian paprika
Storage
Keep leftover soup refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring in a splash of water to loosen the broth.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Salting the pot at the beginning, which hardens the skins of the pulses.
- •Boiling too rapidly, which disintegrates the chestnuts before the beans soften.
Serving suggestions
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