Zucchini and cannellini bean soup | Auckland Lifestyle News | Health, Fashion, Food and Wine in Auckland

They tell us winter is nearing its end, but no doubt there are enough cold nights ahead of us to make a bowl of steaming hot soup a welcome sight on the dinner table.

This week's recipe combines zucchini with tinned cannellini beans, and adds a little blue cheese as a flavour accent. It's light enough to serve as a first course, but could equally do duty as a stand-alone lunch or supper accompanied by a few thick slices of crusty bread. If your kitchen lacks a blender or food processor, dice rather than slice the zucchini and serve the soup as a chunky broth.

1 Tbsp pure olive or vegetable oil
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
6 zucchini, topped, tailed and sliced
2 cups salt-reduced chicken or vegetable stock
1 x 390g tin cannellini beans
2 Tbsps soft blue cheese, cut into 1cm cubes
salt and pepper to tasteServes 4 as an entree, light lunch or supper

Heat the oil in a large pot and add the shallot. Stir for a minute or two to soften, then add the zucchini. Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables wilt a little, but don't let them brown.

Add the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the beans, including liquid, and simmer a further five minutes, then stir in half the cheese and let it soften and part-melt.

Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree. Return it to the pot just to reheat and season to taste. Serve with two or three blue cheese cubes floating on top of each bowl and maybe some crusty bread.

 

Wine match

Sauvignon blanc is well respected for its ability to partner foods that carry a whisper of saltiness, and the blue cheese in this soup places it firmly in that category. The shelves are beginning to fill up with new releases and, as 2010 was a very good vintage, most of them offer plenty of lively, refreshing flavours that tie in nicely with this dish. It was a more unusual variety, however, that gave us surprise success last week. Matawhero Gisborne Arneis 2009 is just off-dry, and boasts a herbaceous bouquet that brings toasted almonds and orange peel to mind. It's richly fruited with an oily texture, but has enough refreshing acid to guarantee liveliness through the middle and on the finish. It might prove hard to find, but it's worth a search. It sells for around $25. Hot soup and chilled wine can clash in the mouth, so refrigerate the bottle for no more than 15 minutes. It should be only a little cooler than room temperature.