Late Summer Tomato Soup with Shell Beans, Squid Rings & Parsley
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Late summer tomato soup with shell beans, seared squid rings, and garlic-rubbed toast. A rustic Italian-leaning one-bowl meal that celebrates peak-season tomatoes and fresh beans.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
95 minREADY
145 minThis soup is a summer farm-stand haul in a bowl. Roasted tomatoes, fresh shell beans (fava, lima, or cranberry), and flat Romano beans simmer with leeks, onions, and red wine into a brothy, rustic Italian soup. Seared squid rings on top bring sweetness and bounce, and a garlic-rubbed toast rests on the edge like an edible raft.
Roasting the tomatoes for 40 minutes before they go in the pot is the move that separates this from a simple tomato soup. The dry oven heat concentrates their sugars and deepens the flavor in ways stovetop cooking can’t touch.
Treat the squid carefully. Two minutes in smoking-hot oil is all it needs. Go over and it turns rubbery; go under and it stays gummy. The brief garlic-parsley marinade beforehand perfumes the rings without curing the flesh.
Pro Tips
- Split and wash leeks thoroughly. Grit hides between the layers and ruins soup.
- Use fresh shell beans in peak season. Dried beans require hours more cooking and a different technique.
- Let the oil actually smoke before the squid hits the pan. Anything less gives you steamed, pale rings.
- Rub the hot toasted bread with a raw garlic clove. The rough surface acts like a grater and releases garlic oil.
Variations
- Swap squid for seared scallops, shrimp, or a piece of flaky white fish.
- Use canned cannellini beans if shell beans aren’t in season; add them at the end to warm through.
- Add a splash of sherry or white wine instead of red for a lighter profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 375°F.
Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper; roast 40 minutes.
Heat 1½ teaspoons oil in a soup pot over low heat.
Cook leek, onion and sliced garlic 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add wine, raise heat to high and reduce 5 minutes.
Place tomatoes, oregano, ¼ cup parsley and shelled beans in pot and add enough water to cover vegetables by ½ inch.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Add flat beans, salt and cayenne; simmer until beans are tender, about 30 minutes.
Mix squid with chopped garlic and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley; let stand 30 minutes.
When soup is ready, sautésquid:
Heat remaining 1½ teaspoons oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat until oil smokes, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add squid (oil may splatter) and sauté, stirring, until cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt. Toast bread; rub with garlic clove.
Divide soup among 4 bowls, top each with ¼ squid mixture and add bread.
Comments
