Minestrone Soup with Cranberry Beans
& Arugula Pesto
Difficulty
level: Gourmet
 |
| Minestrone Soup with Cranberry Beans & Arugula Pesto |
Minestrone Soup is the best
vegetable soup ever! Really it is. It’s jam-packed with goodness and will do
anyone who eats it the world of good. It's a great way to make the most of
seasonal produce – vary your choices throughout the year. Make a big batch of
soup, even if you’re only cooking for yourself – you can keep the rest in the
fridge for several days or freeze portions to eat another day. The additional beans
give it quite the protein boost, making it a meal in itself.
 |
| Best beans in the world! |
Once again I am using Rancho Gordo
Beans – they are truly the best and worth the effort to obtain them. They sell their heirloom beans “new” – meaning they
are harvested and dried within a year and then sold to the public. When beans
are stored too long, a longer cooking time is needed to soften them. Less
cooking time means their delicate flavors are preserved and that they retain
their shape when cooked. See http://ranchogordo.com/ Cranberry beans are very thin-skinned with a velvety
texture, making them ideal for soups, stews and even refried beans. They are a
beautiful dense bean with gorgeous pot liquor due to their thin skin. Other
similar beans: borlotti, Wren’s egg, Tounges of Fire and Madeira.
To make the beans:
- 1 lb dried cranberry beans (For a light soup, one could use white runner beans like Cellini or cannellini, or white navy beans)
- Water
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 Tb olive oil
- Salt
To make Arugula Pesto: (makes 1½ C – you will need much less – or use
with other recipes as noted below)
- 5 C firmly packed arugula, washed, drained and stems removed
- ½ C firmly packed parsley
- ½ C slivered almonds
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 9 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
- ½ C extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ C grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
To make the Soup:
- 3 to 4 Tb Olive oil (divided)
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
- ½ medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ lb white mushrooms, quartered
- 2 zucchini, halved and sliced into large chunks
- One 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ lb green beans, trimmed and cut in thirds or half
- Parmesan rind, optional
- 4 C vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 C cooked cranberry beans with cooking broth (as above)
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
To make the beans: Rinse the beans in cold water and check them for small bits of
debris. I cover the beans with about an inch of cold water and soak overnight.
I do not change the soaking liquid – in fact, I usually use the same liquid
when cooking the beans. In a separate pan, sauté the
mirepoix – specifically the mix of finely
diced onion, garlic, celery and carrot, sautéed in olive oil to soften the
vegetables, about 5 minutes.
Add cooked mirepoix to the soaked beans. Add more water if needed so the beans are
completely submerged by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, and continue
boiling for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. I like to see
how low the heat can go and still produce the occasional simmering bubble. If
too much heat is escaping, cover the pot partially. If the liquid in the pot
starts to get low, you can add more warm water. Allow the beans to cook. This
can take 1 hour or even 2 hours, depending on the age of your beans. When
finished, add salt. Go easy as it
takes a while for the beans to absorb the salt. Save beans & cooking liquid
for soup. This can be made one day ahead – storing the cooked beans in their
broth overnight in the refrigerator. This is roughly the method I use when cooking any of the fresh beans from Rancho Gordo.
 |
| Previously Soaked Beans plus mirepoix |
To make the Arugula Pesto:
Combine the arugula,
parsley, almonds, lemon juice, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor
fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times until a paste forms, stopping
several times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the motor running,
slowly add the olive oil and process
until the mixture is smooth.
 |
| Arugula pesto |
Add the Parmesan,
salt and pepper and pulse several times until well mixed. Refrigerate in an
airtight container until ready to use. This can be made 1-2 days ahead and
stores for a week in the refrigerator.
To make the Soup:
In a soup pot over medium heat, warm 2 Tb olive oil. Add the onion,
garlic, fennel, and a pinch of salt and sauté until the vegetables are soft
and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes.
Add the cabbage, stir to coat with the oil and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
Remove all
and set aside on a plate. Putting pot back on stove, warm the last 2 Tb olive oil. Add the mushrooms
and zucchini and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
 |
| Onions, fennel chopped. Green beans added later |
 |
| Chopped cabbage |
 |
| Cabbage, fennel, onions after sauteeing |
 |
| Sauteed mushrooms & zucchini |
Add the onion/fennel mixture back into the soup
pot. Mix well. Add the can of diced tomatoes,
optional Parmesan rind and vegetable or chicken broth and another
pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the green beans and the cooked cranberry beans with their soaking liquid,
mix and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to
taste with salt and pepper.
 |
| Everything added together...almost soup! |
Before serving, remember to remove the Parmesan
cheese rind. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top with a hefty dollop of
arugula pesto. Grab a spoon and enjoy
the amazing deliciousness that you have just created. So very good while being so very good for
you!!
The Arugula Pesto is delicious with pasta – just
love love love it with angel hair pasta!! – And dresses up grilled chicken or
fish. You can also mix it into your
favorite vinaigrette or use it as a sandwich spread. Also, see Chicken-Arugula Meatballs (http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2014/07/chicken-arugula-meatballs.html)– for another use of arugula
pesto.
Bon Appetit!
Larue
Other recipes featuring the wonderful heirloom
beans:
Caribbean Black Bean Soup May, 2014
Red Beans & Rice with Andouille
Sausage January, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment