Butter bean and tomato soup

This recipe comes from The bean book by Rose Elliot (1979). My wife has made this since I have known her and our children always loved it and still do. In fact friends and family all love it. When eaten with a good whole wheat bread it creates an excellent source of protein due the combination of a pulse and a grain. Also it is quick and easy to make.

1 tin of butter beans
1 to 1 and a half pints of water
3/4bay leaves
2 large onions
1oz vegan margarine
a glug of olive oil
2 tins of peeled plum tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
salt and fresh ground black pepper
A little sugar (optional)
chopped parsley, optional garnish

Fry onions in the marg and olive oil until soft then add water, tomatoes, butter beans, bay leaves and stock cube.
Season with salt and pepper and a little sugar if using, bring to a boil then gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Take off the heat, remove bay leaves, a word of warning, if you do not count your bay leaves going in and then obviously count the same amount coming out and you blend a bay leaf in the soup it is not good, in fact inedible and ruined so do count how many, and blend in batches until all done then return to pan and simmer for a few minutes, taste to check if it needs more salt and pepper and serve with whole wheat bread or croutons or both !