Escarole and Cannellini Bean Soup (Zuppa di Scarola e Fagioli)
 
 
Cook:
Recipe type: Soup
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 pound of coarsely chopped escarole
  • 15 ounces of fresh cannellini beans (the above pictures show cranberry beans, but cannellini work best). You can of course use canned beans (but note they are expensive and, in my opinion, not as good as soaking your own dried bean)
  • 4-5 cups of fresh water (you can use chicken or vegetable stock as well)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ onion finely diced (I find the onion optional but other recipes include it as a standard item)
  • Hot pepper flakes to taste
Process
  1. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes to a large pot along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and begin heating the pot (if you're using onion add it here as well). Sautée the garlic for a minute or so and add the escarole and cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Add salt, water, and beans. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can, of course, simmer the mixture longer, if needed to develop more intense flavor.
  2. After moving the soup to your serving bowl, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the beans and escarole and grate a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the soup. Serve the soup with a good quality bread (if you happen to live in the New York City area, then go and get some bread from Sullivan Street Bakery) and a glass of Ciro from Calabria. The soup makes a wonderful, stand-alone, lunch!
Recipe by Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle at http://www.scordo.com/recipe/escarole-and-bean-soup-recipe.html