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A restaurant with no name, a soup I’ll never forget

Holed up in Tuscany, we found solace – and a large grill – in a stranger’s back garden

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STEPHEN HARRIS

alcohol and therefore gluggable, it was not too sweet and very refreshing.

When we wanted to find a restaurant near the farm we relied on a local recommenda­tion and set off down a small road, which didn’t look too promising. The few houses dotted along the road didn’t suggest an area that could support a restaurant and sure enough there wasn’t one in sight. Before we gave up we heard a bit of hubbub and looked into a back garden to see people sitting at tables and a large grill. This was it.

We were warmly welcomed and sat down. Wine came unlabelled from the garage and we had a meal that I remember vividly to this day. We were only asked if we preferred chicken or fish and the rest just appeared. Antipasti arrived: a large plate brimming with peppers, salami, anchovies, tomatoes and everything to stimulate the appetite. The bean soup that followed was beautiful and thick, just right for the time of year when the evenings were beginning to get chilly. Pasta came next with a simple tomato sauce and then some grilled chicken. There was no pudding and a bit of local cheese was served before coffee.

Everything we ate was a perfect example of its type. This was how to do it.

As we drove home, our XJS laden with stunning unfiltered olive oil, chianti and vin santo, we knew that the chill of a London autumn would be offset by our memories. We got to Ventimigli­a, just on the French border, late at night, and changed some money, only to get six francs to the pound – we had got 10 when we went the other way. It turned out that Black Wednesday had fallen in the middle of our week away, and the pound had collapsed. That’s why John Major was all over Italian television. I miss holidays when you have no idea what is going on back home, and you get to eat in a restaurant with no name.

To see Stephen Harris talking at the Whitstable Food Festival, Oct 6 (£12), and for 20 per cent off all talks, go to ticketsour­ce.co.uk/whitfood and enter the discount code

telegraph

1 ciabatta loaf

4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped to a purée

4 tbsp good-quality olive oil

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Heat two tablespoon­s of olive oil in a heavybased saucepan and gently sweat the diced vegetables until soft.

Add the garlic and cook for a further minute then stir in the cavolo nero. Cook for one minute then add the blitzed tomatoes and cook for five minutes over a medium heat.

Keep stirring.

Add the beans along with their juices and cook for two minutes, then add the bay leaves and rosemary and cook for two minutes. At this point, add the stock to the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. The soup will thicken while evaporatin­g, but add a bit of water if it threatens to lose too much liquid.

Meanwhile, cut the ciabatta into four pieces and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until they are beginning to turn brown. Mix the garlic into the oil and brush the cut sides of the bread with this, keeping a little oil back. Then return the bread to the oven for five minutes.

Remove the rosemary and bay from the soup and pour half the mixture into a blender. Blitz to a smooth purée. Check the seasoning and return this to the pan with the rest of the soup.

Stir together.

Taste and make some final adjustment­s. I like to add salt, a squeeze of lemon and a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil just before serving with the ciabatta, which I dress with more garlic oil, a pinch of salt and the chopped parsley.

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