Chestnut and bean soup

Type of recipe: First courses

Preparation method:

The evening before you wish to make this dish, put both the chestnuts and beans to soak in separate containers.
In a pan, heat some oil and add the finely chopped onion, pancetta and herbs, tied together in a small bouquet. Once the onion has sweated a little, add about ¾ of the chestnuts and beans and the potatoes. Add some water and turn up the heat. Boil the remaining chestnuts and beans for about 2 hours in two separate pans filled with salted water and with two bay leaves in each. Continue to boil the main pan over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the chestnuts, beans and potatoes are thoroughly cooked and flaky (the entire cooking process should take about 2 hours). Remove the herb bouquet and blend the contents in a mixer to obtain a velvety and creamy soup.
Add the chestnuts and beans boiled separately, aiming to keep both as intact as possible so that once served in bowls - preferably terracotta ones - and garnished wit . . . >>>

Preparation method:

The evening before you wish to make this dish, put both the chestnuts and beans to soak in separate containers.
In a pan, heat some oil and add the finely chopped onion, pancetta and herbs, tied together in a small bouquet. Once the onion has sweated a little, add about ¾ of the chestnuts and beans and the potatoes. Add some water and turn up the heat. Boil the remaining chestnuts and beans for about 2 hours in two separate pans filled with salted water and with two bay leaves in each. Continue to boil the main pan over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the chestnuts, beans and potatoes are thoroughly cooked and flaky (the entire cooking process should take about 2 hours). Remove the herb bouquet and blend the contents in a mixer to obtain a velvety and creamy soup.
Add the chestnuts and beans boiled separately, aiming to keep both as intact as possible so that once served in bowls - preferably terracotta ones - and garnished with a bay leaf they show which ingredients were used in preparing the soup. The soup can also be prepared without potatoes (which in the above version help to thicken it). In this case, increase the quantity of both the chestnuts and beans.