Spring Greens Soup

A soup for when your heart says spring, but the weather does not. 

This recipe requires some time, some chopping, some washing. We're cooking dried beans until they're plump and making our own vegetable stock. But this is all a feature, not a bug. There are few things better than pottering around the kitchen when it's cold and wet and rainy outside. Well, I guess there's one thing--a warm bowl of soup. 

Dried beans take a bit of time to cook, about an hour and a half. You can cut back on this by soaking the beans overnight, or even just a handful of hours. You could also cook the beans and stock ahead of time and refrigerate it all. Pick the cooking back up when you’re ready to eat. The rest of it comes together quickly.

Really short on time? That’s ok. You can easily reach for a can of beans instead. And premade stock or bouillon is just fine, either veggie or chicken if you don’t need an entirely plant-based soup.

Ingredients and Farms

1 cup dried Italian butter beans - $5, Iacopi Farms

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

2 leeks, divided - $2, Vasquez Farm

4 ribs celery, divided - $1, Tomatero Farm

1 large onion - $2 Zarate Family Farm

1 bunch asparagus - $7, Full Belly Farm

6 ounces spinach - $3 Zarate Family Farm

1 medium bulb fennel - $3, Vasquez Farm

1 lemon - $1, Peach Farm

Salt and pepper

Directions 

1. Optional: Rinse 1 cup dried Italian butter beans and soak in cold water for several hours.

2. Add the beans to a medium pot. Fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes. While the beans are cooking, cut the dark green tops off of 1 leek. And the dark leek greens, 1 rib of celery, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pot with the beans. Reduce the pot to a simmer, cover, and cook until beans are completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (This time is variable, and will be shorter if you soaked the beans.) Drain.

3. Meanwhile, make the stock. Chop 1 onion (including the skin), 3 stalks celery and dark greens off of the remaining leek into 1-inch pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add 3 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the broth into a large bowl, discard the cooked vegetables, and wipe out the pot.

4. While all this is happening, prep the soup vegetables. Remove any larger stems from 6 ounces spinach and wash thoroughly—spinach is sandy, and potentially muddy this time of year. Snap the woody ends off 1 bunch of asparagus. Cut the tips off, and chop the stalks into 1-inch pieces. Cut the remaining part of the leek in half lengthwise and rinse under running water. Leeks are also very sandy/muddy. Slice crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Chop the fennel bulb into 1/2-inch pieces.

5. When the beans and stock are done cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped leeks and fennel, and the zest of 1/2 a lemon. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until starting to soften, about 4-6 minutes. Add the cooked beans and pour in the reserved stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Add the asparagus tips and the spinach and stir until the greens are wilted. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Taste for seasoning, and serve with additional olive oil drizzled over the top

Enjoy!

Recipe by Meleyna Nomura