My extended family includes a Persian who cooks some of the most mind-meltingly delicious foods ever. She taught me this dish, which for me is a must-have. Because of the lentils, a large serving is enough for a medium sized main course, with bread.

• 250g dried haricot beans
• 5 shallots
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 pints Vegetable stock (preferably home-made, rather than from a cube)
• One large handful curly-leaf parsley
• One large handful coriander leaves
• One small handful tarragon
• About 1 tbsp fresh mint
• One small handful chives

1. Soak the haricot beans overnight in plenty of cold water
2. Finely chop the shallots and garlic. In a small amount of olive oil, gently fry them over a low heat until softened (about ten minutes)
3. Add the stock and haricot beans. Bring rapidly to the boil, then turn down to simmer. Add lots of salt and pepper, cover the pan and leave to simmer for 50 minutes.
4. Finely chop all of the herbs. Add them to the pan and stir gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with good crusty bread.

If you like your soup to be smoother, then you can blitz this is a food processor to reach your preferred texture.

It is possible to use other lentils in place of the haricot beans. Green lentils are especially good in this case, but you will need to adjust the cooking times according to the packet instructions.

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