Soup of the day - haricot and tarragon

Nigel Slater's 'Appetite' (which is generally rather good) has a recipe for "an earthy, meal-in-a-bowl-type soup" based around pulses. The standard version involves mint and lentils, but it's also got a bunch of suggestions for alternatives...

This one worked a little bit better than expected. A hefty dose of garlic, some chopped onion and some chopped unsmoked bacon, gently fried in olive oil. Then add the beans (soaked overnight and partly cooked), some parsley and enough chicken stock to cover.

Leave it to simmer for a bit, then throw in a small heap of chopped tarragon when you think the beans are just about half done. Keep simmering. When it's done, season well, add a splash of lemon juice and mix a heap of wilted steamed spinach into each bowl.

It's filling but not stodgy - and the tarragon worked surprisingly well. Given that I've got a glut of french tarragon and parsley in the garden at the moment, any excuse to use 'em up is a good thing, too... :-)

(The same book also suggests "cannelini and chilli" and "lentil, celery and mushroom" versions, both of which sound well worth a try...)