Vegan White Bean and Escarole Soup

From Meagan Lombaer of The Radical Larder
Makes 16 cups

Says Meagan: The white bean contains a phospholipid that aids in cell signaling, especially related to the type of cell death that confers advantages to organisms in which this cycle happens. It is the highest source of this very important phospholipid to date other than what is derived from animal protein.

The Italians were among the first to set up port in Chicago, to be followed by two large waves of immigration and at one point Chicago had the third largest population of Italians in America. The first wave of immigrants had many restaurateurs, so the presence of many Italian restaurants in Chicago to this day has deep roots.

Ingredients

1 quart (4c) dry white beans
2 or more large heads of escarole washed and dried
5-6 onions and/or several green tops of leeks
4 small carrots
4 stalks celery
10 parsley stems
2-3 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
10 coriander seeds
a hearty pinch of chili flakes
1 12 oz can of fire roasted whole tomatoes (canned are best this time of year)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
kosher salt

Preparation

Soak beans overnight in a large container with 4 times the water as beans in the refrigerator.

Drain the beans and tumble into a baking dish with about 3 times as much fresh water as beans. Sprinkle with some salt, 4-5 peppercorns, bay leaf, and some leek tops or an onion cut in half.

Cover with foil and bake at 325 for about 2 hours, check to make sure they are done, cool and strain reserving the cooking liquid.

Char or roast 1/3 of the escarole with olive oil and salt, cool and then chop. Chop and blanch the remaining escarole for about 35 seconds.

Chop remaingin vegetables, and spread on a sheet tray, and bake at 425F for 10-20 minutes. You want to get color on them.

Tumble the vegetables into a large pot along with the other aromatics; cover with the bean water and fresh water to amount to 2 gallons total.

Simmer for 35-45 minutes, strain broth onto cooked beans discarding stock vegetables and aromatics.

Chill and rest overnight. When getting ready to serve, put the can of tomatoes and juice into a 3 gallon stock pot on high and break up with a wooden spoon.

Pour the broth and beans into the pot and bring to a simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add cooked escarole and serve with a hearty piece of bread.

Posted: Wednesday Feb 1,2017 12:27 PM In Soup Recipes