peppercorns1.In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain thoroughly on paper towel. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Drain fat from pan. Add oil.
2.Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, toasted cumin, oregano, thyme and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir to combine thoroughly. Transfer to stoneware. Stir in broth.
3.Add beans and reserved bacon and stir well. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours, until vegetables are tender. Stir in lime juice, cayenne and jalapeño, if using. Cover and cook on High for 10 minutes, until heated through. Working in batches, purée soup in a food processor or blender. (You can also do this in the stoneware using an immersion blender.) Spoon into bowls and garnish.
Make Ahead
This soup can be partially prepared before it is cooked. Complete Steps 1 and 2. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to cook, continue with the recipe.
Tip
Three-quarters of a cup (175 mL) of dried beans yields about 2 cups (500 mL) when cooked, equivalent to a 19-oz (540 mL) can of beans, drained and rinsed.
Mindful Morsels
Dried legumes, such as black beans, kidney beans, lentils and split peas, are very nutritious. They provide not only protein, but also slowly released carbohydrate that causes a smaller increase in blood glucose than many other carbohydrate-containing foods. Half a cup (125 mL) of cooked beans contains about 7 g of protein (and typically, less than 1 g of fat), making it a good alternative to meat, and is very high in fiber and folacin (a B vitamin). It also supplies thiamine and niacin and six minerals, including iron, magnesium, zinc and manganese, and has virtually no sodium when prepared without salt. Fiber-rich foods are also more filling and lengthen the time until you next feel hungry.
Two-Bean Soup with Pistou
I love the flavors in this classic French country soup: the hint of licorice in the fennel and the nip of paprika is nicely balanced by the pleasing blandness of the potatoes and beans.
VEGAN FRIENDLY
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
•Large (minimum 6 quart) slow cooker
| 1 tbsp | olive oil | 15 mL |
| 3 | onions, finely chopped | 3 |
| 2 | carrots, peeled and diced | 2 |
| 1 | bulb fennel, base and leafy stems discarded, bulb thinly sliced on the vertical and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) lengths (see Tips, below) | 1 |
| 1 tsp | fennel seeds, toasted (see Tips, below) | 5 mL |
| 1 | can (28 oz/796) diced tomatoes, including juice | 1 |
| 6 cups | Basic Vegetable Stock or Homemade Chicken Stock (see recipes, pages 38 and 39) or lower-salt broth | 1.5 L |
| 2 | potatoes, peeled and shredded | 2 |
| 2 | cans (each 14 oz/398 mL) white beans, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups (500 mL) dried white beans, soaked, cooked and drained (see Basic Beans, page 231) | 2 |
| 2 cups | frozen sliced green beans (see Tips, below) | 500 mL |
| 2 tsp | paprika, dissolved in 1 tbsp (15 mL) water Freshly ground black pepper | 10 mL |
| Pistou | ||
| 1 cup | packed fresh basil leaves | 250 mL |
| 4 | cloves garlic, minced | 4 |
| ½ cup | finely grated Parmesan cheese | 125 mL |
| ¼ cup | extra virgin olive oil | 50 mL |
1.In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onions, carrots and fennel bulb and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add toasted fennel seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
2.Add stock, potatoes, white beans and green beans. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours, until vegetables are tender. Stir in paprika solution and season to taste with pepper. Cover and cook on High for 20 minutes.
3.Pistou: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine basil, garlic and Parmesan. Process until smooth. Slowly add olive oil down the feeder tube until integrated. Ladle soup into bowls and top each serving with a dollop of pistou.
Make Ahead
You can partially prepare this soup ahead of time. Complete Step 1. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to cook, continue with Steps 2 and 3.
Tips
If your market is out of fennel, use 6 stalks of diced celery instead.
To toast fennel seeds: Place in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until seeds are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mortar or a spice grinder and grind.
Adding the green beans while they are still frozen ensures that they will not be mushy when the soup has finished cooking. If you prefer to use fresh green beans, cut them into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths and cook them in a pot of boiling salted water for 4 minutes, until tender-crisp. Add them to the slow cooker after stirring in the paprika.
Mindful Morsels
Canned beans are high in sodium. In this recipe, they contribute about 250 mg of sodium per serving. You may want to look for reduced-sodium varieties or those with no salt added, or cook your own with no added salt. (See Basic Beans, page 231.) Rinsing also helps reduce the salt content.
Ribollita
Originally intended as a method for using up leftover minestrone — hence the name ribollita, which means “twice cooked” — this hearty Italian soup has acquired an illustrious reputation of its own. The distinguishing ingredient is country-style bread, which is added to the soup and cooked in the broth. Drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan
