Hot Yogurt and Fava Bean Soup

There’s this baked-goods themed horror movie on streaming on Netflix called Gingerdead Man 3. The title combined with the cover image of a murderous, knife-wielding gingerbread man was so appallingly awful that after a few weeks of seeing it pop up in recommendations (not sure how the algorithms got us there), we had to put it on. Granted, we lasted only about 8 minutes. But still, it was fated from the moment we saw that totally disgusting title: we were going to watch it.

I felt the same when I first flipped through my copy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s gorgeous vegetable cookbook Plenty and came across the title “Hot Yogurt and Fava Bean Soup.” Hot Yogurt is just nope. It’s a phrase that causes instant repulsion. Maybe it’s just me not being sophisticated or adventurous enough, but Hot Yogurt sounds like it should probably leave you dead or at least hurting for a few days.

But every recipe I’ve tried from Plenty has been delicious. How could this not also be? How unbelievably exciting would it have been had Gingerdead Man 3 turned out to be a masterpiece, despite the name? Any kind of meal that starts from a point of surprise is at least interesting – whether good or bad.

Luckily, Hot Yogurt and Fava Bean Soup was the best kind of surprise. Hiding behind its awkward, frown-inducing name, this soup had a pleasant tang, a satisfying richness, and enough brightness from fresh herbs that eating it leaves you feeling healthier and stronger. It tastes different enough to be a memorable meal, while being not nearly as challenging as its name would imply. And then there’s the unmatched buttery texture of the fava beans. Oh, how I love them so.

Favas aren’t so much in season at the moment, so I used frozen for the first time. They turn out to be a close second, with a little less work (and trash) than buying fresh pods. Definitely don’t try this with canned or dried favas – both of which have their places and neither of whose place is in this soup.

To summate: This soup is singular and singularly good. To postscript: I am considering making every recipe in this book in March. It's a goshdarn winner. 

Hot Yogurt and Fava Bean Soup
Barely adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty
Serves 4 

GET THIS STUFF

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, quartered
4 celery stalks, quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered
5 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup packed Italian parsley
6 cups water
2 1/2 cups frozen fava beans (one standard package from what I could tell at the Mediterranean market)
1/3 cup jasmine rice
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried chervil
1 egg
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
zest and juice of one lemon

DO THIS WITH IT 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add onion, celery and carrot. Cook 5 minutes to soften. Add thyme, bay leaves, parsley and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare fava beans. Bring a pan of water to boil and throw in fava beans for 1 minute. Drain and run beans under cold water. Squeeze beans out of their skins, reserving the bright green beans and discarding skins.

Strain the stock into your soup pot and discard the spent vegetables. Add jasmine rice to stock and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add about 2/3 of the fava beans to the rice and stock along with the chervil and a pinch of salt and pepper, then blend with an immersion blender or regular blender in batches until smooth. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt and garlic. Add a half cup of the hot soup to the yogurt mixture while whisking the whole time. Repeat until you've whisked in about half the soup (this keeps the yogurt from splitting). 

Pour the yogurt and soup mixture into the rest of the hot soup, and warm it to the desired temperature while making sure it doesn't boil. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.

Serve soup topped with remaining fava beans, dill, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over each bowl -- Ottolenghi points out that this is important and I agree!