Instructions: Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight. The next day, discard the water and transfer the beans to a large saucepan with 2 litres of cold water.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-2 hours or until tender.

In a separate pot, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic and onion over a low heat until softened and golden, about five minutes. Add the diced carrots, celery and tomato paste and continuing cooking for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rosemary spikes, both cabbages and sliced chard, silverbeet or spinach, diced potatoes and tomatoes and stir well.

Meanwhile, Remove the beans from their cooking liquid and keep the liquid aside (DO NOT DISCARD). Push 3/4 of the beans through a food mill or sieve then return these pureed beans to the cooking liquid. Reserve the remaining whole beans.

Add the pureed bean mixture to the vegetables and bring to the boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 1 hour. Add the remaining beans and bread and stir well. Simmer for a further 20 minutes then serve with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and extra ground pepper.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.