white bean and kale soup
Apr. 19th, 2010 03:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkitToday I made one of my favorite soups, although it's not really seasonal here, being more of an autumn/winter dish than a spring/summer dish. But, although hearty, this soup is bright-tasting and not stodgy the way bean soups can be.
This is my recipe, adapted from one in the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook. It makes a big batch, but the soup freezes well.
1 large-ish onion, chopped
1 lemon
5 or more garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
olive oil
1 pound small dried white beans, soaked overnight in the fridge or a few hours at room temperature
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 large bunch kale, stems removed, carefully washed and chopped
1/4 cup or so cornmeal (I used coarse-ground polenta meal because that's what I had, but a finer texture is preferable)
Cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, zest the lemon. You can use a grater or a special tool for this, but I cut the zest off in strips with a knife (you just want the thin yellow layer, not the white, which is bitter) and mince it. Juice the lemon and set aside the juice.
When the onion is translucent and soft, add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant. Add the soaked beans and enough water to cover and let simmer for half an hour or so. Add the stock, some salt if desired, and more water if needed, and keep simmering until the beans are tender. With small, soaked beans, this shouldn't take long.
Add the kale and keep simmering until the kale is nearly, but not quite, tender enough to eat. How long this will take depends on your kale, but count on 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the cornmeal with the lemon juice (and a little water if needed) to make a slurry. When the kale is ready, add this slurry to the soup and cook over low heat, stirring often, for ten minutes or so.
Serve the soup with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, perhaps a drizzle of olive oil, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Variations: This makes a fairly lemony soup, so reduce the lemon if you like. You can also increase or decrease the garlic. Omit the cornmeal if you want a brothier, less thick soup. Oh, and if you happen to have the rind from a piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano lingering in the fridge, as I did, add it to the beans along with the water. It will contribute lovely flavor.
This is my recipe, adapted from one in the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook. It makes a big batch, but the soup freezes well.
1 large-ish onion, chopped
1 lemon
5 or more garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
olive oil
1 pound small dried white beans, soaked overnight in the fridge or a few hours at room temperature
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 large bunch kale, stems removed, carefully washed and chopped
1/4 cup or so cornmeal (I used coarse-ground polenta meal because that's what I had, but a finer texture is preferable)
Cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, zest the lemon. You can use a grater or a special tool for this, but I cut the zest off in strips with a knife (you just want the thin yellow layer, not the white, which is bitter) and mince it. Juice the lemon and set aside the juice.
When the onion is translucent and soft, add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant. Add the soaked beans and enough water to cover and let simmer for half an hour or so. Add the stock, some salt if desired, and more water if needed, and keep simmering until the beans are tender. With small, soaked beans, this shouldn't take long.
Add the kale and keep simmering until the kale is nearly, but not quite, tender enough to eat. How long this will take depends on your kale, but count on 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the cornmeal with the lemon juice (and a little water if needed) to make a slurry. When the kale is ready, add this slurry to the soup and cook over low heat, stirring often, for ten minutes or so.
Serve the soup with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, perhaps a drizzle of olive oil, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Variations: This makes a fairly lemony soup, so reduce the lemon if you like. You can also increase or decrease the garlic. Omit the cornmeal if you want a brothier, less thick soup. Oh, and if you happen to have the rind from a piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano lingering in the fridge, as I did, add it to the beans along with the water. It will contribute lovely flavor.
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Date: 2010-04-19 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-19 10:18 pm (UTC)