Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [89]
1 cup dried lima beans
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, quartered, then thinly sliced
2 cups canned diced tomatoes with their juice
1½ pounds kale, center stems cut out, leaves washed and chopped
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Place the lima beans in a large bowl, cover them with cool water to the depth of 2 inches, and set aside to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight, changing the water once.
Drain the beans in a colander set in the sink. Place them in a soup pot or Dutch oven and stir in the broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Skim off any foam from the broth as well as any bean skins or beans that bob on the surface. Cover with the lid ajar, reduce the heat a little, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over low heat. Add the olive oil, then the onions. Cook, stirring often, until golden and quite soft, about 10 minutes.
Pour the entire contents of the skillet into the pot with the beans; cover again with the lid ajar, reduce the heat even further, and simmer very slowly for 30 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes. Now cover the pot tightly and simmer slowly for 15 minutes.
Add the kale to the soup. You’ll probably have to work in batches, adding a couple of handfuls, then stirring until they wilt enough that you can add some more. Once all the kale has been added, stir in the salt and red pepper flakes. Return the soup to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking until the lima beans are tender and the kale is wilted, about 30 minutes.
Lima Bean, Sausage, and Kale Soup: Add 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into small rings, with the onions; cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
Lima Bean, Clam, and Kale Soup: Reduce the broth to 6 cups and add 2 cups fish broth or clam juice with the remaining broth; stir 1½ pounds clams, scrubbed of any sand, into the soup during the last 5 minutes of its cooking—simmer until the clams open (discard any that do not).
Quick Lima Bean and Kale Soup: Substitute 2 cups frozen lima beans, thawed, for the dried beans. Omit steps 1 through 3; cook the onions right in the soup pot. Add the lima beans and 7 cups chicken broth, simmer for only 10 minutes, and continue with the recipe. In step 7, you’ll only need to simmer the soup until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes.
Kasha Varnishkes Soup
Kasha varnishkes are a New York deli favorite: toasted buckwheat groats (kasha) and bow-tie egg noodles (varnishkes) with lots of sautéed onions. Here, we’ve turned this classic into a hearty soup. Makes 6 servings
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups medium or coarse kasha (aka toasted buckwheat groats)
2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon minced sage leaves or ½ teaspoon dried sage
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups (2 quarts) beef broth
5 ounces fresh or 3 ounces dried bow-tie (or farfalle) pasta
Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the onions and carrots. Immediately reduce the heat to very low and cook, stirring frequently, at the lowest simmer until the onions are golden, almost brown, and very sweet, about 40 minutes.
Stir in the kasha, thyme, sage, and garlic; cook for 30 seconds, stirring all the while. Pour in the broth and bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits on the pot’s bottom. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the pasta, stir well, cover again, and continue cooking until tender, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta and 5 minutes for dried.
Variations: