Tuscan Kale And White Bean Stew Food

RIBOLLITA (TUSCAN BEAN SOUP)

Steps:

• Make the Lemon Garlic Rosemary Oil - place all ingredients in a small jar or bowl and let sit on the counter (or make the day before, refrigerating)
• In a large, heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and optional pancetta and saute 6-8 minutes.
• Lower heat to med-low and add the carrots, fennel (or celery) and garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes, and cook another 7- 9 minutes until vegetables are tender.
• Add the tomatoes and lacinato kale, and a splash of white wine, and continue sauteing and stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes.
• Add the stock and beans. Bring to soup to boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.(You could add a Parmesan rind to the simmering soup for extra depth of flavor.)
• Stir in fresh Italian Parsley. Adjust salt if necessary.
• Serve in bowls with a drizzle of the flavorful lemon oil, grated Parmesan ( or Romano) and crusty bread.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH KALE

Steps:

• Dice the onions and carrots. Chop the rosemary and pick the thyme leaves and set aside.
• Place a large stock pot over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add onions and sweat until translucent but not browning, about 5 - 8 minutes.
• Add carrots to the pot with the onions until they begin to sweat and turn bright orange, about 2 minutes. Season carrot/onion mixture with salt.
• Make a space in the center of the pot, drizzle in another tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat up a bit. Add the fresh herbs and let them sizzle in the oil for about a minute, then stir to combine.(see recipe notes)
• Clear a space in the center of the pan and add the tomato paste. Let it sizzle and cook for a minute, until the color seems to darken a bit. Stir to combine with other ingredients in the pan.
• Add both cans of cannellini beans ALONG WITH THE LIQUID IN THE CAN! This liquid is going to thicken the soup and give it additional flavor. Season with salt.
• Add 8 cups of water and the parmesan rind if using. Tear the kale from the stems and add to soup in large chunks.
• Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a medium simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

"SUPER-TUSCAN" WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse the beans, place in a saucepan, and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for about 20 minutes, then drain.
• Return the beans to the saucepan along with the prosciutto, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bay leaf. Pour in the chicken stock and then add water as needed to cover the beans by 2 inches. Slowly bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. (If you heat them too fast, the skins may break.) Adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beans are almost tender, 20 minutes or longer, depending on the age of the beans. Add salt, to taste, and continue cooking until the beans are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let the beans cool in the liquid.
• Meanwhile, make the bruschetta: Preheat a stove-top grill pan. Place the bread slices in a single layer on the grill pan and toast until each side is crisp and has grill marks, about 6 minutes. (You can also toast the bread in a 500 degrees F oven on a baking sheet.) Remove from the pan and lightly brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil, then season lightly with salt. Let cool.
• Strain the cooled beans and other solids through a sieve, reserving the liquid. In a food processor, puree the beans and solids in batches with 3 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, push the solids through a fine mesh sieve into a clean large saucepan (you should have about 6 cups of soup in the saucepan). Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet over high heat, warm the 1/4 cup olive oil. Turn on the fan above your stove. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn brown. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for a few seconds, then add the basil. Cook until basil wilts.
• To serve, ladle the hot soup into warmed bowls. Top the soup with the basil mixture. Serve bruschetta with each bowl, adding Parmesan, if desired.

WHITE BEAN AND KALE STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and season with salt. Cook vegetables, stirring, until tender, about 8 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium high and add tomatoes and their juice. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes.
• Add 7 cups water, potatoes, and beans, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, then stir in kale.
• Cook, covered, until tender, about 2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan.

RUSTIC TUSCAN-STYLE SAUSAGE, WHITE BEAN, AND KALE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and brown, stirring occasionally to break into smaller pieces, approximately 10 minutes.
• Add onion, carrots, potato, and bay leaves. Season generously with kosher salt and cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 minutes. Add garlic and beans, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add kale, and cook until it becomes slightly wilted. Add chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, and cover with lid.
• Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and keep at a simmer for about 45 minutes, although a bit longer is completely fine. The soup will thicken as the potatoes begin to release their starch into the soup.
• *the soup tastes best the second day. If time allows, cool soup completely, and refrigerate it for the following day. Reheat before serving.
• When about ready to serve, slice baguette. Drizzle each slice with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, until toasted. Top with grated gruyere and asiago cheese and broil for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted. It can go from melted to burnt pretty fast, so don't leave broiler unattended.
• Divide soup among bowls and top with a few slices of cheesy baguette.

TUSCAN CHICKEN WITH WHITE BEANS AND KALE

Steps:

• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Season evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet (12-inches) and place over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chicken and cook without disturbing 6-8 minutes, or until it takes on a golden-brown color.
• Flip the chicken over and add the onion and garlic to the pan, stirring to coat with the pan juices. Cook 2 or 3 minutes, until the onion softens.
• Add the sauce, beans, rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook 10 minutes.
• Uncover the pan and continue to simmer 10 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
• Drizzle the bread with olive oil and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Remove the chicken from the heat and stir in the kale until it wilts. Serve in shallow bowls topped with some of the bread and sprinkled with the cheese.

TUSCAN BEAN AND BARLEY STEW WITH KALE

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the onion over medium heat for 2 minutes until it softens slightly.
• Add the carrot and celery sticks and continue to fry for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften a bit.
• Next, add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the rosemary, thyme and chilli flakes and continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Add the cannellini beans and pearl barley to the pot, then pour the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until the pearl barley is done to your liking.
• Mix in the ale and cook for another 2-3 minutes with a lid on until the kale wilts.
• Season to taste and serve as is or with crusty bread.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Saute the onions over medium-low heat in a medium sized, heavy pot that has a lid.
• Slice the carrots into 1/8″ coins and add to pot.
• Cut potato into 1/4″ dice and add to pot, stirring occasionally. Add water and loosen any stuff that has stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add salt, oregano, tomato paste and stir. Cover and turn head down to a low boil.
• Slice and kale, drain and rinse the beans. Add beans to pot and stir. The stew should be quite thick. Add kale and lemon juice. Taste and season if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes until kale is tender.
• Carrots should be tender, and the potato should be soft but still hold its shape. Serve and garnish with fresh herbs, shown here with thyme.

TUSCAN KALE AND WHITE BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Combine the vegetable base and 8 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the base. Set aside.
• Place a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter substitute and olive oil and heat until melted. Add the carrots, celery and onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Tie the thyme and rosemary into a bundle with kitchen string and add it to the pot along with the garlic. Cook for 1 minute more.
• 3. Add the beans and their liquid, the lemon zest and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the kale, season with salt and pepper and simmer until the kale has wilted and softened a bit, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Divide the soup among bowls and drizzle with olive oil.

ITALIAN WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Soak beans in cold water, 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain beans and set aside.
• Make a cut down the center of each sausage and peel off the casing. Transfer sausage into a dry soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown sausage, while breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Cook and stir until juices start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, creating a fond, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add onion and stir to coat in the rendered sausage fat. Cook until onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze the pot. Add black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and water.
• Add drained beans, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and continue to simmer until beans are tender, about 30 more minutes. Taste beans to be certain they are perfectly cooked.
• Smash about 1/4 of the beans with a potato masher to give the stew a creamy texture if desired. Stir in chopped kale, increase heat to medium, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
• Ladle hot soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

TUSCAN BEAN STEW (HEARTY + EASY)

Steps:

• Instructions In a large oven to table pan heat some olive oil for a minute on medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Add the leek, celery, carrots, onion and garlic and lower the heat and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and turn the heat up for 1 minute to brown. Pour in the stock enriched with the yeast extract and the tomato puree. Turn the heat down low and simmer the broth for 6 minutes. Add the herbs, reserving a little to garnish. Add the orzo pasta and the washed beans and gently simmer, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Garnish with the leftover herbs and (optionally) chopped black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN AND KALE SOUP

Steps:

• Drain and rinse one can of cannellini beans. Add to a blender or food processor with 1 cup of chicken broth. Blend until smooth. Drain and rinse the other two cans of beans and set them aside.
• Heat oil in a large dutch-oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon renders fat and crisps up.
• Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in garlic and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring constantly.
• Add blended beans, drained beans, potatoes, and the remaining chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium or medium-low heat, for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, or until vegetables are tender and broth slightly reduced.
• Stir in kale and simmer for a few minutes or until wilted. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Stir in chopped parsley. Serve soup with grated Parmesan cheese. It's also really good with crusty bread for dipping.

CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW

Steps:

• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until cooked, but not crisp (about 5 minutes).
• Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened (about 5 minutes).
• Add the potatoes and chicken broth; simmer until the potatoes are just tender (about 15 minutes).
• Meanwhile, pull the meat off the rotisserie chicken, discarding skin and bones.
• Add the chicken and white beans to the stew; cook until heated through.
• Just before serving, stir in the arugula and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.