Bulgarian bean soup with mint (Bob chorba)

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. The next day drain them, cover with fresh water, bring to the boil and pour off the water after 5 minutes.

2. Cover again with about 2.5 litres of water and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

3. Add one finely chopped onion, the diced carrots and pepper and the peeled, diced tomatoes and simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the beans are completely tender.

4. In a small frying pan, soften the other, finely chopped onion in the oil, sprinkle over the flour, cook to a pale roux, take off the heat and stir in the paprika; whisk smooth with a little cold water and add to the soup.

5. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the thyme and chopped mint and simmer for another 10 minutes.

6. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, with fresh bread and hot peppers – a classic of Bulgarian monasteries and fasting days.

Tip: The original bob chorba uses summer savory (chubritsa) and dried spearmint (dzhodzhen); if you have savory, use it instead of the thyme. On meat days, smoked sausage can simmer in it too.