Author Notes
For this cold and rainy day I am so glad I started to make a soup stock last night and already began soaking these beans. The rest of the soup can cook during a morning's time and be ready for lunch or dinner. Or, you can just pop everything in a slow cooker so it will greet you after work. My stock used a chicken carcass, lots of fresh herb stems, celeriac, carrots, fennel, onions, garlic, and yellow pepper. The measure of a good stock to me is that it gels overnight. Please don't think that the beautiful mottled color of the dried beans is going to last after cooking! They can still taste very colorful though in your mind. Beans are an unsung hearty comfort food. And this soup sure hits the spot today. —Sagegreen
Ingredients
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12 ounces
dry anasazi beans
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2
quarts of seasoned great homemade stock
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1 ounce
olive oil
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1
large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
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1 tablespoon
fresh grated ginger
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1/2 teaspoon
sea salt
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1/4 teaspoon
fresh milled pepper
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1 tablespoon
maple syrup (just to counterbalance any bitterness)
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1
Meyer lemon sliced
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2
sprigs of fresh thyme
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4
small rainbow carrots, peeled and sliced
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1
leek, sliced
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1 small bunch of lacinato kale
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fresh herbs such as dill, parsely and cilantro
Directions
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Soak the beans overnight covered in water (2 inches water showing on top at least). Then discard the water. I use it to water my plants actually. Heat the stock. Add the beans and simmer for about an hour.
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In a small pan you can saute the onions in olive oil until they begin to sweat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the fresh ginger, maple syrup, and sliced lemon. Set aside.
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Slice the carrots and leek. Add those to the soup along with the onion mix. Simmer about 30 minutes.
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Add the kale and simmer about 20 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and lemons if you like. If you want to thicken the broth, and depending upon how thin or thick you would like your soup, scoop out 1 to 4 cups of the cooked beans and vegetables with some broth to puree in a blender. I like mine on the thin side. Mix back into the soup. Serve hot with a garnish of fresh herbs and a slice of crusty artisan bread. Feel very virtuous because this is really pretty healthy.
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