fresh borlotti bean soup alla maruzzara

Friday the 13th - what could possibly go wrong? Nothing, *of course*! If anything it's a demi-great day: It's beautiful, I beat my PB running the 8 miles into the office, I get some amazing eggs from our Head of Marketing's East End chickens, and did I mention it was beautiful? It was beautiful. It's also the beginning of our Canada-countdown. Two weeks to go Harlocks - yay!

We've got more experimental stuff on the agenda tonight; a curious soup from Gennaro Contaldo and Antonio Carluccio's new book, Two Greedy Italians. I'm all for soups generally, and I've been gasping to try something with borlotti beans as they are nothing short of the most beautiful pulses ever, but I was not prepared for the result:

Whilst it *was* tasty, very tasty in fact - like a more delicate version of minestrone, which makes it fairly good for the summer (sorry Sarah) - I was ever-so-slightly disappointed with the colour as the cooking process completely removes the purple whorls and swirls. I might just as well have used tinned cannellini beans...

Food of the Milos
More playdates today, this time with Finn and Kiki in Richmond Park, Nursery of course, and Pheeeeeeebs 1st birthday picnic!

Breakfast: toast and porridge before nursery
Lunch: Party food! Ham sandwiches, crisps, ice lollies and swanky cup cakes from Selfridges. I notice there's not party food for daddies when I get home from work;
Dinner: He had sausages, spaghetti and cherry tomatoes, whilst Finn had the same only with fish fingers rather than sausages.

sources
fresh borlotti bean soup alla maruzzara - Gennaro Contaldo and Antonio Carluccio, Two Greedy Italians, from Delicious, June 2011, p38