Rustic Cannellini Bean Soup with Fennel

After a promised glimpse of spring, winter’s arctic blast heads back to the Central Coast of California. Everyone is hyping the snow storm to hit lower elevations down to 500 ft. Snow on the beach?! Hasn’t happened since 1976 and I am old enough to remember… The arctic storm chills my bones and it is time to cook up some comforting soup. By-passing my normal mirepoix and tomato base I am heading to lovely basil and fennel-land. Potatoes create a creamy texture and the basil, garlic sausage meets sweet leeks. A sprinkling of red chard and bok choy rounds out this dinner in one pot.

Rustic Cannellini Bean Soup with Fennel

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 Rustic Cannellini Bean Soup with Fennel
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients
1 tbl spoon olive oil
2 New York Style Basil-Garlic Sausages sliced in ½ “ rounds
2 Leeks, sliced
½ yellow onion, chopped
½ Fennel bulb, chopped
½ cup yellow bell pepper
16 oz chicken stock
2 cups russet potato, chopped with peel on
3 large red swiss chard leaves, rough chopped
1 cup baby bok choy leaves sliced thin
1 15 oz cannellini beans rinsed and drained
½ tsp fresh thyme
½ tsp fresh rosemary
½ tsp fresh sweet marjoram
½ tsp fresh sage
Kosher Salt and Course black pepper to taste


Directions
Over medium-high heat, saute sausage in olive oil in 3. 5 qt dutch oven until browned. Add onion, leeks, fennel and continue cooking until onion is translucent and leeks quite soft. Pour in chicken stock and add potatoes and beans. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to medium simmer. Cook 20 minutes. Remove lid and add swiss chard and bok choy. Turn off heat, allow to cook covered for 3-5 minutes as the fresh greens wilt. Stir in fresh chopped herbs let rest 2 minutes and taste for salt. Add approximately 1-2 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp pepper to taste.


Cook’s Tips
Your home cooked rich chicken stock will enrich this soup, otherwise use Swanson’s Chicken Stock. This soup is really good the next day!
I used roasted russet potatos left over from a previous meal.  This gave a nice toasty/creamy texture to tonight’s soup.

Recipe from What About The Food? Blog Copyright 2010-2011