Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic - Anna Getty [32]
1
tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on the soup
1
celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1
small yellow onion, chopped
4
ounces pancetta, finely chopped
3
garlic cloves, minced
6 to 7
cups cooked white cannellini beans (see Cook’s Note)
6
cups Chicken Stock (page 112)
1
large bunch Swiss chard
2
slices country bread, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
2
tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
1. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and beans and then add the stock. Lower the heat to medium and cook at a gentle boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the Swiss chard and bread and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add more stock if the soup is too thick. Stir in the parsley.
2. Serve the soup in individual bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and generous amounts of Parmesan.
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COOK’S NOTE: Call me old-fashioned, but when it comes to white bean soup, I prefer using dried beans that I’ve soaked and cooked myself. But if you are pressed for time, substitute about three and a half 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans. Be sure to drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the soup pot.
To cook dried beans for this soup, put 2 cups of dried beans in a medium bowl and cover with 2 or 3 inches of water. Soak them for 12 to14 hours. Drain and rinse the beans and put them in a medium pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Bring the beans to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 1 hour, until soft. Set aside the beans in the cooking water until ready to use for the soup. Rinse and drain.
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german potato soup
SERVES 6
This is my mother’s recipe; I grew up eating this soup. German Potato Soup typically has pork in it, but this is a vegetarian version. For some reason my mother always used bouillon cubes. You are, of course, welcome to use canned or homemade vegetable stock (see page 113) or just water, but I have chosen to follow the recipe exactly the way my mom wrote it. The flavors improve as it sits, so plan to cook it at least one day before serving. To me this soup means comfort, warmth, and coziness. This recipe is from my heart to yours.
3
russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2
carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1
celery rib, diced
1/2
small yellow or white onion, chopped
2
large vegetable bouillon cubes
2
tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2
tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
1. Combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and bouillon cubes with 4 cups water in a large pot and cook at a gentle boil over medium heat until the potatoes are almost tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove 2 cups of soup from the pot, transfer to a medium heat-proof bowl, and mash the potatoes and vegetables with a potato masher. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables right in the pot.
3. Return the pureed vegetables to the pot with the soup and add the butter. Season with salt and pepper and reheat the soup on low.
4. Serve the soup in individual bowls, garnished with chopped parsley.
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did you know. . .
In a 2002 test, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found pesticides in 90 percent of the conventional potatoes tested. By far the most common residue found was the post-harvest sprout inhibitor chlorpropham: 87 percent of the samples tested positive at an average level of around 1.5 parts per million. This chemical accounts for the poor representation of conven tionally grown domestic potatoes on the USDA’s Dietary Risk Index. They are number 74,