Spanish Bean Soup

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant recipe, this is a family favorite. It’s great for gatherings, pot lucks, or any night of the week. While the Moosewood recipe is vegetarian, I prefer using sausage. You can easily switch the type of sausage, variety of greens, and flavor of broth to suit your taste, or switch it up each time you make it.

Cookware: Use the HearthStone Cookware Dutch Oven, 5.5 qt for this recipe.

Serving Size : 6 - 8

Time: 40 minutes

2 garlic cloves -- minced or pressed

2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt (You might skip this depending on the saltiness of the broth and sausage you’r using)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds (I usually toast whole fennel seeds in a skillet for a couple minutes, then grind them in an old coffee grinder once they’ve cooled down a bit)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Optional, my kids like it mild)

3 bay leaves

1 lb. sausage (You can cut into chunks or use loose sausage. I usually use a sweet Italian sausage)

2 cups cubed potatoes (1-inch cubes)

8 cups vegetable stock (Chicken stock is good too, or a combination)

4 cups stemmed and chopped kale (OR collards OR Swiss chard OR cabbage)

1 cup chopped celery with leaves

3 cups drained cooked cannellini beans**

generous pinch of saffron

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese -- (optional)

In a soup pot, sauté the garlic, onions, and salt in the oil on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are golden.

Add the sausage and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until the sausage starts to brown.

Add the fennel, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves and sauté for another minute.

Add the potatoes, stock, greens, and celery, cover, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are done 5-10 minutes.

Add the beans, saffron, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with grated cheese and a nice loaf of bread.

Enjoy!

**To cook, soak 1 1/2 cups of dried beans in plenty of water to cover for

at least 2 hours or overnight. Rinse the beans and then simmer them with

bay leaves in 2 quarts of water until tender 45 to 60 minutes. Or use two

15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed.