White Beans with Baby Spinach Soup

Here's a great idea for a quick and hearty soup-style dish with a distinctly Spanish feel.

Ingredients

1 Large Spanish onion
6-8 Pre-soaked sun dried tomatoes
250g Chorizo (regular or spicy to taste)
2 Cloves garlic
500g White Spanish beans (judion or cannellini)
1 Large bag baby spinach
1.5 Litres light stock (chicken or vegetable)
100 ml Fino (dry) sherry
Olive oil
Sweet pimenton

Preparation

White beans should be soaked overnight and then boiled for approximately 2 hours prior to preparation. Alternatively, pre-cooked white beans can be used.

Finely chop the onion and in a large saucepan (preferably with a heavy base) fry in olive oil on a low heat.  Once they have picked up some colour, chop and add the soaked sun-dried tomatoes, chorizo and garlic and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

Baby spinach is tasty, nutritious and has a much more pleasant texture than its older brother.

Add the pre-cooked beans, sherry, stock and a 1/2 teaspoon of pimenton, simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Wash the baby Spinach and add to soup 5 minutes before serving - it should be wilted but not boiled to death!

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, or even better, chilli oil, and chunks of crusty white bread or home-made croutons.