Borlotti bean and vegetable soup with slow-cooked lamb shoulder and parsley oil

By: Amanda Ruben
From: Feasting
Serves: 6–8
Photographer: Elisa Watson

The cabbage soup with top rib that I grew up eating has become cavelo nero and slowcooked lamb shoulder in my version. Use fresh borlotti beans when they are in season.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
250g	fresh borlotti beans, podded
or 100g	dried borlotti beans, soaked in cold water overnight
4 tablespoons	olive oil
1	brown onion, finely diced
1	leek, white part only, sliced
3	garlic cloves, chopped
2	celery stalks, sliced
1	fennel bulb, diced
3	carrots, diced
3	zucchini (courgettes), chopped
2	potatoes, diced
1/2	cauliflower, broken into small florets
1	bunch cavolo nero, stems removed, leaved sliced
	sea salt, for seasoning

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder

Quantity	Ingredient
1.2kg	lamb shoulder
1 tablespoon	paprika
3 tablespoons	olive oil
250ml	chicken stock

Vegetable stock

Quantity	Ingredient
3	medium carrot, chopped
2	large brown onions, roughly chopped
3	celery stalks, chopped
8	medium tomatoes, quartered
10	button mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon	salt

Parsley oil

Quantity	Ingredient
2 bunches	flat-leaf (italian) parsley
80ml	olive oil
80ml	grapeseed or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon	sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
Put the lamb shoulder in a roasting tin and rub with paprika and oil. Pour in the chicken stock, cover with foil and cook in the oven for 6 hours. Remove the foil and brown by cooking for a further 15 minutes.
While the lamb is cooking, put all the stock vegetables into a stockpot with 2 litres (68 floz/8 cups) water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, then simmer for 1 hour. Add the salt then strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a container and discard the vegetables.
To make the soup, cook the borlotti beans in a saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 250 ml (8½ floz/1 cup) of the cooking liquid. Set aside half the cooked beans, and purée the other half with the reserved cooking liquid in a food processor.
Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the celery, fennel and carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the zucchini, potatoes, cauliflower, cavelo nero and 1½ litres (51 floz/6 cups) vegetable stock. Season with salt, bring to the boil and simmer for around 1 hour, until the vegetables are soft. Add the reserved borlotti beans and cook for a further 30 minutes, then add the bean purée.
To make the parsley oil, plunge the parsley into a saucepan of boiling salted water for 15 seconds, then immediately transfer to a bowl of iced water. Drain the parsley and pat dry with paper towel. Place the parsley, oils and salt in a food processor and pulse for 45 seconds. Strain the oil into a container through a finemeshed sieve lined with muslin (cheesecloth).
To serve, pull the lamb apart, scattering generously over each bowl of soup, and drizzle with the parsley oil.