El Bulli Style Bean Soup with Picada
by Tavolino
A rustic and flavorful bean soup inspired by the legendary El Bulli restaurant, featuring creamy cannellini beans and a vibrant, nutty Catalan-style picada topping.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil 45 ml
- Garlic clove (large) 1 piece
- Brown onion 180 g
- Fresh thyme 0.5 g
- Fresh rosemary 0.5 g
- Bay leaf 1 piece
- Tomato passata 80 ml
- Cannellini beans (drained) 1600 g
- Vegetable stock 750 ml
- Fresh parsley leaves 30 g
- Garlic clove (medium) 1 piece
- Hazelnuts 35 g
- Salt 3 g
Preparation
- 1
Heat 15 ml olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- 2
Add 180 g chopped onion, 1 large minced garlic clove, 0.5 g thyme, 0.5 g rosemary, and 1 bay leaf.
- 3
Sauté the mixture for 8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are golden brown.
- 4
Stir in 80 ml tomato passata and cook for 8 minutes over low heat until dark and thick.
- 5
Add 1600 g drained cannellini beans and 750 ml vegetable stock to the pot.
- 6
Simmer the soup gently for 15 minutes with the lid off.
- 7
Remove 150 ml of the soup, blend until smooth, and stir it back into the pot to thicken.
- 8
For the picada, toast 35 g hazelnuts in a skillet until golden and fragrant.
- 9
Rub hazelnuts in a towel to remove skins, then roughly chop them.
- 10
Combine chopped hazelnuts, 30 g parsley, 1 medium garlic clove, 30 ml olive oil, and 3 g salt in a jar.
- 11
Blend the picada mixture until it reaches a pesto-like consistency.
- 12
Stir 2 tablespoons of the prepared picada into the soup just before serving.
- 13
Serve the soup immediately, topping each bowl with a teaspoon of the remaining picada.