Persian Noodle Soup

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes until they’re very soft, golden, and fragrant. Add the spices, garlic and chilli, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browning.

Add the cannellini beans and lentils, along with a litre of the stock and a good pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes until everything has come together.

If you are not eating all of the soup now, put those portions aside before adding the spinach, pasta and herbs. Add the rest of the stock to the pot with the spinach and pasta. Simmer until the linguine is tender but slightly al dente. This should take about 8-10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix the pine nuts and chopped chilli with the lemon zest and olive oil to make the topping.

Add the herbs to the soup and leave to simmer for a minute before tasting and adjusting the seasonings. Stir in the lemon juice.

Spoon into bowls and top with the pine nuts, chilli mixture and more herbs, if you like.