- CLARA'S BEAN ANDBASIL SOUP

It is a bit unfair to include basil in the name of this soup, since the first time I made it I had no basil and it was still delicious. Sun-dried tomatoes are fast becoming more widely available and can now be bought at supermarkets as well as delicatessens and Italian grocers' shops. The same applies to pecorino cheese, similar to but cheaper than Parmesan and in my opinion �ften preferable; if there is a choice, the kind with the most positive, salty flavour is Roman pecorino.

If you cannot buy sun-dried tomatoes, black olives are an excellent subsitute. Black olives have been picked when the fruit is ripe, green when it is unripe: green are sharper. They may be preserved in oil, brine or vinegar: avoid those in vinegar. A possible replacement for basil is fresh or dried oregano.

The soup is simple to make and relatively inexpensive. Sundried tomatoes are quite expensive (especially those preserved in olive oil), but you don't need many, and you can also use them in the Cassoulet on page 102.

The flavour of the soup deteriorates if it is kept, so finish it on the day it is made. If there are only three of you, I suggest using only 6 ozll90 g beans: keep the quantities of the other ingredients as they are. For 4.

- INGREDIENTS -

8 ozl250 g cannellini or haricot beans, soaked overnight in cold water

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

Small handful parsley (enough for 1 heaped tablespoon when chopped)

JI/2 oz/40 g (6 halves) sun-dried tomatoes or 2 oz/50 g black olives

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt Pepper