Butternut squash, apples, and smoky pimentón de La Vera give this Spanish bean soup a sweet and spicy flavor perfect for fall. As it contains no meat or dairy products, it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans, yet it has a nice creaminess, thanks to ground toasted almonds.
I have adapted this recipe from one by Clarissa Hyman. To see the original, and many other great Spanish recipes, check out her book The Spanish Kitchen.
Here's the recipe:
1 cup of dried chickpeas
1 cup of dried cannellini
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 slice of good bread
1/3 cup of toasted almonds
a pinch of saffron, ground with a little salt in a mortar
1 tablespoon pimentón de La Vera
fresh chopped mint
salt and black pepper
Pick over the garbanzos and remove any dirt or stones. Rinse them. Put them in water to soak.
Do the same with the cannellini. Soak both beans overnight, but keep them separate at this stage because garbanzos almost always need longer cooking.
The next day, rinse the garbanzos. Put them in a large pot with the bay leaves and enough water to cover them. Bring to them to a boil and let them simmer for an hour. Add more water if necessary.
Rinse the white beans. Add them to the garbanzo pot with a teaspoon of salt. Let the beans simmer together for an hour more, adding more water if necessary.
Add the butternut squash, carrot, and apples to the bean pot. Let them simmer slowly for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, fry the chopped onion in the olive oil until soft and golden. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the olive oil and onion mixture cool some. Add the pimentón and stir. Add this mixture to the pot and stir.
Put the almonds, bread, saffron, and garlic into a blender or food processor and chop the mixture to a paste. Add a half cup of broth from the soup. Whir it smooth. Add this mixture to the pot and stir.
Again, add more water if the soup gets too thick.
Let the soup simmer a few minutes more. Add ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Serve with chopped fresh mint sprinkled on top.