So Beadie is this weeks hostess of the BSI secret ingredient. I am sure there are millions of people who like kale, I happen to be one that doesn’t. But that didn’t stop me from trying! I had beans to cook up so I decided to do:
Bean Soup with Winter Vegetables
- 4 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 pound dried beans (any kind)
- 4 medium cloves of garlic, whole
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces kale (I took the stems out – didn’t know if they would be too bitter?), chopped
- 4 ounces escarole, stemmed and chopped
- 2 small potatoes diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained (I pureed mine – no chunks please!)
- water
In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until slightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 12 cups of water, beans, whole garlic, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot partially and reduce heat to low ,and simmer, stirring occassionally, until beans are almost tender, about an hour and fifteen minutes. Remove the beans from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
Remove beans to a cookie sheet, reserving liquid and discard the pancetta and garlic.
While beans are cooling, heat oil in pot and add carrots and stir until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add enough water to reserved liquid to equal 9 cups. Add kale and escarole. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and tomatoes, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Lastly, add beans and simmer until soup is heated through.
I brought this to work and put it in the crockpot around 10:00 to heat up slowly.
The verdict? First of all, I can’t detect the flavor of the pancetta, which is a shame! I did have to add Tabasco for an extra kick (of course!) and while I liked the flavor of the broth, I did not like the beans or the vegetables. Well, I do have to admit that the beans need to cook a bit more, so I am going to do a second taste test this afternoon and see what my co-workers think.
So while this didn’t work out for me – I still decided to post it in case someone enjoys all those ingredients together – especially the kale!
See you later!
This looks wonderful! I also love kale in my soups. Thanks for visiting too!
I do like kale when it is done right and so far I have had it done right once. There is a little deli run by Koreans by my hubby’s work that makes the best kale salad. I wish I had the recipe because I crave that salad. Oh and if I don’t get there early enough it is gone fast!
UPDATE: My co-worker and I tasted this again at 3:00 after it had cooked for three hours after the last time I tasted it.
The verdict?? It’s good! The beans still needed to cook down more (next time Celeste I’ll just leave them in the whole time!) but then we started to think about what we could turn this soup into . . . it’s going to be our lunch tomorrow so you’ll have to wait in suspense!
In my mind its amazing though!!
My BSI entry is soup too… stay tuned!
Perhaps you should have just left the pancetta in for more flavour? I know I would have kept it in 😀 And it seems like a pretty standard recipe for soup, so I think it would be good, as long as you like all the ingredients. Probably needs some onions though 😉
Really? It looks like it would be a good meal!! I can’t wait to hear from your co-workers thought! 🙂
Off topic while I skip ahead to my favorite day of the week – Pizza Party Friday… A friend and I once ate at a wood-fired pizza place and ordered what was called a Sweet-Hottie. It was crust, chunky sauce, bacon, pineapple chunks, sliced jalapenos, and cheese. It was so good, we still talk about it to this day. (And I know how you like the spicy!)
http://www.TasteNotWaist.com (sorry, my link doesn’t show up with my name on your blog for some reason.)
I haven’t tried kale yet! Maybe I’ll try it in a soup though. Good Idea.
Why on earth would you remove the beans, set aside, and return to the pot at the end? Just leave the beans in the dish; they’ll get more and more creamy as they continue to cook. The same goes for the pancetta–leave it in the pot to simmer along with the ‘scarole & beans & kale.
Sounds great! I like kale in soups – it has a good texture.
I love Kale!
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