22 Street Lane Nursery - Dish of the Month

December 2025 Dish of the Month Recipe

Tomato and Butterbean Soup with Homemade Focaccia

Ingredients: For the Focaccia Bread: • 500g strong bread flour plus extra for dusting • 7g dried fast-action yeast • 2 tsp fine sea salt • 5 tbsp olive oil plus extra for the tin and to serve • 1 tsp flaky sea salt • ¼ small bunch of rosemary sprigs picked

For the Tomato and Butterbean Soup: • 1 red onion, chopped • 3 carrots, chopped • 1 red pepper, sliced • 2 cloves of garlic • 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 tin of tomatoes • 1 tin of butter beans (drained) • 1 tbsp tomato puree • 500ml veg stock • 1 half block of feta cheese • 1 small bag of panto breadcrumbs • 1 portion of natural breadcrumbs • 2 bunches of basil • 1 bunch chives • 1 tsp of dried herbs and spices • Salt and pepper to taste

Method: For the Tomato and Butterbean Soup: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C and line a tray with baking paper. Place on the veg and garlic cloves, drizzle generously with olive oil and season. Roast for 30-40 minutes until tender. 2. Whilst that's cooking, pour a tin of tomatoes into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add in the tomato puree, veg stock, seasoning and a good pinch of salt and pepper, leaving on a simmer. 3. Once cooked, add in the roasted veg and butter beans and allow to heat through. You can let it simmer for a while longer if you have the time, or blend straight away until smooth. 4. We have chosen to add herb crumb, so blend the oil, basil, chives and feta cheese together in a food processor to create a herb cheesy crumb. For the Focaccia Bread: 1. Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix the yeast into one side of the flour, and the fine salt into the other side. 2. Then mix everything together; this initial separation prevents the salt from killing the yeast. 3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add 2 tbsp oil and 350-400ml lukewarm water, adding it gradually until you have a slightly sticky dough (you may not need all the water). 4. Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it, scraping around the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-10 minutes until your dough is soft and less sticky. Put the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour until doubled in size. 5. Oil a rectangle, shallow tin (25 x 35cm). Tip the dough onto the work surface, then stretch it to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 35-45 minutes. 6. Heat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Press your fingers into the dough to make dimples. 7. Mix together 1½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp water and the flaky salt and drizzle over the bread. Push sprigs of rosemary into the dimples in the dough. 8. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Whilst the bread is still hot, drizzle over 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold with extra olive oil, if you like.