Sardinia Minestrone
Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup dried fava beans
1⁄2 cup dried cranberry beans
1⁄3 cup dried chickpeas
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)
4 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 11⁄2 cups)
1 1⁄2 cups chopped fennel or 2 tablespoons fennel seed
1⁄4 cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh basil leaves
2⁄3 cup of Sardinian fregula, Israeli couscous, or acini di pepe pasta
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup finely grated pecorino Romano (about 2 ounces)
Directions:
Soak the fava beans, cranberry beans, and chickpeas in a large bowl of water for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours (that is, overnight).
Drain in a colander set in the sink. Rinse well.
Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, parsley, and basil, as well as the drained beans and chickpeas.
Add enough water (6 to 8 cups) so that everything is submerged by 1 inch.
Raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly, uncovered, until the beans are tender, adding more water as necessary if the mixture gets too thick, about 1 1⁄2 hours.
Stir in the pasta, salt, and pepper.
Add up to 2 cups water if the soup seems too dry.
Continue simmering, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into each off our serving bowls.
Divide the soup among them and top each with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese.
Tip: You can vary the beans in the minestrone: pinto beans make a good substitute for cranberry beans; great northern or cannellini beans, for the favas.
Tip: Use the stalks and fronds that come off a fennel bulb for the most intense flavor. No feathery fronds on the bulb? Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the aromatic vegetables you sauté to begin the dish.
Tip: Add other fresh vegetables from the garden or market, such as zucchini, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower or broccoli florets.
Tip: Want a stronger tomato taste? Stir in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.
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I made a list of possibilities so hopefully will be prepared when meal time comes. Great use of those beans. Hearty and comforting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sam.
DeleteThat soup recipe sounds delicious. THeHub will only eat soup when the weather is cold, so I am going to bookmark it for the fall.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan, Anne. :)
DeleteThat soup sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim. I really liked it.
DeleteSounds tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that I have ever had fava beans before, and I'm not sure about fennel either. Does it have a slight licorice taste?
I made chili last week too, and I added kidney and black beans to stretch it further.
Hope you have a good and tasty week.
You're welcome, Kathy. I didn't have any fava beans on hand, so I used what I had and used pinto beans instead plus the chicken peas and october/cranberry beans. Yes, fennel does taste like licorice. It’s very tasty. Stretching your chili with beans is such a money saver!
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