Spicy White Bean and Turnip Soup

Aside from actually traveling to the Mediterranean and dining at a seaside café, the next best way to cope with a relentlessly long and cold winter might be to set a big soup pot full of hot and nourishing Mediterranean vegetables and beans to cook on the stove. This hearty, colourful and slightly spicy Croatian recipe is adapted from Martha Rose Shulman's wonderful Mediterranean Harvestboth to boost the vegetables and to deal with the fact I didn't have parsnips on hand — in went the turnips instead, and to delicious effect.

This is my contribution to My Legume Love Affair, a popular monthly food event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Laurie of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.

Spicy White Bean and Turnip Soup

1 1/2 cups dried cannellini (white kidney) beans
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1 pound turnips, peeled and chopped
1 large potato, diced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper
small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

Rinse the beans under running water and soak overnight covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain the following day and add to a large saucepan along with 5 cups of fresh water and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are just tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, toss in the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl around to coat the pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Add the garlic, turnips, potato and carrots, and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the red pepper, paprika, chili flakes, along with the beans and their cooking liquid. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Serve hot in bowls with a spoonful of chopped parsley on top. Serves 6 to 8.

If you liked this recipe you may also enjoy:

Italian White Bean and Kale Soup
Cannellini Bean Soup with Fontina Gremolata
Cream of Potato and Turnip Soup