Haricot bean and Swiss chard soup

Directions

1. PREP - Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and bash the garlic. Wash the chard, chop the stalks and shred the leaves. Drain the haricot beans and rinse under running water. Wash and quarter the plum tomatoes. Wash and chop the parsley.
2. SOFTEN - Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with a little salt and soften for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the onion sticking to the pan.
3. ADD - Add the tomatoes, the chard stalks and most of the parsley to the pan and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
4. BOIL - Meanwhile, boil a kettle and make the stock according to packet instructions.
5. SIMMER - Add the haricot beans and chard leaves to the pan, sprinkle with the cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Pour in the hot stock, bring the soup to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. CROUTONS - To make the croutons, remove the crusts from the bread and cut the slices into cubes. Warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, add the bread and fry over a medium heat, turning frequently for a few minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle the croutons with a little sea salt and leave to cool.
7. SERVE - Serve the soup with reserved chopped parsley and the croutons.