Leek & Butterbean Soup with Crispy Bacon and Rívesci Smoked Chilli Oil - Recipe

Recipe by Declan Malone

This recipe was originally featured in Irish Country Magazine Jan/Feb 2025 edition where Dee Laffan interviewed us for a feature and it was called, 'Pour on the Flavour'.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Irish Rapeseed Oil - we use Emerald Oils
• 500g Onions, sliced
• 300g Leeks, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x 400g tin of butter beans
• 1500ml vegetable stock
• 2 heaped tsp of Cashew Chilli Crush
• 3 x asparagus spears
• 3 x streaky bacon rashers - we use Crowe's Farm
• glug of Smoked Chilli Oil
• pinch of Achill Island Sea Salt

Method:

1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pot over a low-medium heat. Add the leeks, onions and garlic and sauté for 15 minutes, until softened.
2. Add butter beans (with water from the tin also) Rívesci Cashew Chilli Crush and veg stock to the pot, and turn up the heat to bring to the boil. Then simmer for 4 - 5 minutes.
3. Blitz the mixture until blended and season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Cook the rashers on a frying pan or grill - halfway through cooking add asparagus until cooked.
5. Reheat soup if needed. Add water if the consistency is too thick and check seasoning.
6. Ladle into serving bowls, top it off with chopped crispy bacon and asparagus and drizzle with Smoked Chilli Oil and a small pinch of Achill Island Sea Salt 
7. Enjoy! :)

This recipe has been slightly adapted to the one that featured in the magazine. There was no kale available in our local Supervalu on the day so that is why we opted for Asparagus. The beauty of any recipe is that this is now yours to go and add your own stamp to it. We really hope you enjoy!