It’s still summery on the Monterey Peninsula fall is in the air. It’s soup time again and this one bridges the gap between summer vegetable soup and the hearty creamy soups of the fall. Grab a bunch of vegetables at your farmers market, or wherever you shop, and simmer some up. The addition of French Herb Chef Butter adds a burst of unexpected of flavor. Any of the herb based Chef Butters will do.
Serves 10 to 12 (freezes great so make a big batch to have for those days you don’t want to cook.)
Ingredients:
4 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion
1 bunch leeks (3 or 4)
1 bunch carrots (5 or 6 depending on size)
4 stalks celery
1 pound white beans soaked over night (or 2 cans of cannellini beans*)
2 quarts water or stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1 large beef knuckle (if using water)
3 or 4 summer squash
4 or 5 peeled tomatoes
1 bunch kale
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 roll French Herb Butter
Method:
Chop the onion, leeks, carrots and celery into bite sized pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and sauté the vegetables slowly over medium heat. Add the beans and stir to combine. Then add the water and the beef knuckle or the beef, chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 40 minutes.
In the meantime, chop the summer squash and tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Strip the kale off its stalks and rough chop the leaf. When the beans are tender, add the squash, tomatoes and kale to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. If you used a beef bone, remove it now and serve the soup with a large medallion of French Herb Butter in the middle. Swirl it into the soup and enjoy.
*If using canned beans, add them when you add the squash and tomatoes.
