Fasolada

Method

1. The night before, put 90 g of dried white beans in a bowl, cover with plenty of cold water and leave to soak for at least 8 hours. They should swell to roughly double their size.
2. Drain the soaked beans, tip them into a saucepan, cover with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Boil hard for 5 minutes, skimming off the grey foam, then drain again in a colander. This first water is always discarded — it makes the soup lighter on the stomach and cleaner in flavour.
3. Wipe out the pan, set it over medium heat and warm 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil. Add 1 finely chopped small onion, 1 diced carrot and 1 sliced celery stick and sweat gently for 8 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and glassy but not coloured.
4. Stir in 1 tsp of tomato purée and cook for 1 minute until it darkens and smells sweet, then add 100 g of chopped tomatoes and let them bubble for 2 minutes.