Eat Your Beans and Greens

You really can't go wrong with a pot of bean soup when you are feeling poor. A cup or two of dried beans, a $2 bundle of greens, some stock and whatever else on hand can keep you full and warm for days.

If you haven't tried soaking your own beans, I highly recommend it. For this soup I put a cup of pinto and cup of white beans in a bowl of water overnight. In the morning, I drained the water and refilled, admiring how plump they had become. That evening they were ready to be drained and thrown into the soup pot. Yes, it does take a bit of planning (and I still have canned beans around for emergencies) but it is not much trouble. I always change the water because I heard it cuts down on the amount of "bubbles" the beans may cause once eaten.

Once the beans were soaked the soup was ready to eat in about an hour. It was just enough time to clean up the kitchen and make some biscuits to go along side.

Fennelly Beans and Greens Soup
Dollop of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 fennel bulb chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon anise or fennel seed
1 tablespoon oregano
black pepper
2-3 cups soaked pinto, white, or other beans
8- 10 cups stock (or half water, half stock)
1 bunch kale, chopped (any type will do)
(optional: 2 chicken sweet Italian sausages, cut into bite sized pieces)

1. In a large soup pot heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion, celery and fennel until soft. Add spices and garlic. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
2. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until beans are soft. About 30-45 minutes.
3. When beans are cooked add kale and sausage is using. Simmer another 5-10 minutes, or until Kale is soft.

I also love garbanzo bean and chard soup. What are you favorite beans and greens combos?