Retro Recipe Revival: Butter Bean, Cabbage and Bacon Soup

Retro Recipe Revival: Butter Bean, Cabbage and Bacon Soup

It’s time for another one from the archives, this time from a recipe book that accompanied the Tower Pressure Cooker sold throughout the early to mid-90s. This week’s Retro-Recipe Revival sees us bringing some super-tasty soup your way; Butter Bean, Cabbage and Bacon Soup.

Recommended appliance

Tower 4 Litre Aluminium Pressure Cooker Total time to table: 16 minutes Total Cost Per Serving: £1.03 Contains Nuts? No Suitable for Vegetarians? No Serves: 6

Ingredients

• x 3 tbspns olive oil
• 100g smoked streaky bacon (cut into 5mm lardons)
• x 1 onion (thinly sliced)
• 200g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 225g dried butter beans (soaked in cold water for 48 hours)
• 900ml chicken stock
• x 1 Savoy cabbage (cored and thinly sliced)
• x 2 tbspns chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Preparation

• First, chop the streaky bacon into 5mm lardons - the 1.8mm chef's knife included in the Tower 5 Piece Knife Set with Wooden Block is ideal for this task.

• Next, slice the onion thinly.

• Heat your pressure cooker, add the olive oil, then add the bacon and stir-fry until crispy and golden brown.

• Add the onion and cook for around 2 minutes, stirring until it softens and turns golden.

• Add the tomatoes, soaked butter beans and stock and stock and bring to the boil.

• Put the lid on the pressure cooker and bring up to full pressure and then lower the heat and cook for 12 minutes until the butter beans are tender and begin to fall apart.

• Release the pressure using the cold water quick release method, add the cabbage and season to taste. Next, lock the pressure cooker lid in place and cook for a further 4 minutes.

• Release the pressure using the cold water release method for a second time then add the parsley. Season to taste and stir well over a gentle heat for 30 seconds.

Serving

• Ladle the piping hot soup into serving bowls, garnish with any leftover parsley and serve with rustic farmhouse bread as a starter to any meal. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, add a few sprinkles of chilli flakes just before serving for a spicy kick.

If you’d like to try this recipe or others from the Retro Recipe Revival series, head over to our Pressure Cookers and Food Preparation pages before firing up the stove and donning your apron. We’ve an amazing discount on the appliance recommended for making this meal – move fast though as the offer won’t last forever!