Soups are my go to in these gloomy autumn days. Today at the market I found black kale also called Nero Toscana and decided to pair it with beans for a hearty soup.
Prep time 20 min Cook time 1h (less if using canned beans)
INGREDIENTS FOR 6
- 300g beans cooked in their liquid (or canned beans)
- a bunch of black kale, stemmed and chopped
- a small red cabbage, cut into medium size stripes
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- peperoncino
- 3-4 tomatoes, diced
- extra vergine olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 125g of pancetta or bacon
- grated Pecorino cheese
- slices of stale bread
1. Fry the onion until translucent about 5-7 minutes, add the pancetta cut into cubes and some peperoncino. Start with a few seeds and a little bit of skin. You can add more later if needed.
2. Add the carrots and potatoes, cabbage and kale and finally the tomatoes.
3. Cover the veggies with the liquid of the beans, check the salt and let simmer for about 25 minutes at low heat. If using canned beans, cover the veggies with water.
4. Blend half of the beans and add them to the soup. Continue to simmer for 25 minutes.
5. Add the remaining beans.
6. Put slices or cubes of stale (or grilled ) bread in the soup bowl and start ladling soup on top of them. Add some Pecorino cheese and let rest for a few minutes.
FOR THE VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE leave out the pancetta
FOR THE GLUTEN FREE ALTERNATIVE leave out the bread or use appropriate bread
BUON APPETITO!