Greens and Beans

2 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
1 14 oz can cannellini beans (or any white bean) - do not strain
3-4 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
2-3 shallots (or 1 small onion) - minced
1 bunch Greens (kale, spinach, chard, whatever you like) - washed and torn into pieces
1/4-1/3 cup white wine (optional)
1 lemon (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional - but is it really?)
olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Serves 2

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over med. Saute shallots (or onions) until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add a little white wine and cook down. Add greens and toss with red pepper flakes. Saute until greens are wilted. Add beans (with juice) and stock. Bring to a simmer and season with s&p and red pepper flakes to taste. Add a squeeze or two of lemon. Serve with bread. You won't be sorry.

Dave and I went to Buffalo for Thanksgiving and were lucky to have Dave's cousin, Lou, join us at his parent's house. Going to Buffalo is always about food, there is so much delicious food there! Our last night we went out for Italian at Michael's and Lou ordered Beans and Greens. I'd never heard of it before but it seems like a pretty common Italian dish. This is the soup version and it's the easiest soup I've made yet. Where have you been all my life? I forgot the lemon when I made this and it was just fine but I imagine it would only make the soup better.

Black Beluga Lentil Soup

1 cup black beluga lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped
spices and vinegar to taste

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve. I topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes.

Serves 3 to 4.

This recipe comes from 101 cookbooks here. That recipe calls for a saffron infused yogurt which I really want to try but didn't have saffron on hand. Next time I'll try it and update this post. This recipe is sort of a base soup recipe. It needs to have spice added to it to jazz it up. I added paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and my favorite: smoked salt. I also added a dash or two of vinegar. This is great with bread or a small sandwich.