Chez Panisse Redux: Tuscan Bean/ Baby Turnip Sweet Potato🌞

TUSCAN BEAN AND FARRO SOUP



2 cups dried cannellini or kidney beans
1 yellow onion
1 small leek
1 small carrot
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
6 sage leaves
1 bay leaf
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 small piece prosciutto or smoked bacon
6 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper
1 cup farro
2 cups water
Extra-virgin olive oil

Soak the beans overnight. The next day, peel and dice the onion, the white
part of the leek, the carrot, and the garlic. Stew the diced vegetables in the
olive oil in a nonreactive pot until the vegetables are translucent. Peel and
seed the tomatoes. Drain the beans and add them to the pot. Add the
tomatoes, herbs, pepper flakes, prosciutto or bacon and stew for 5 minutes
or so.

Add the stock, bring the soup to a boil, and lower the heat to a slow
simmer. Partially cover the soup and cook for about 1¼ hours, stirring
occasionally. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons salt after about an hour.

While the beans are cooking, put the farro and 2 cups salted water in a
saucepan. Cook at a simmer, covered, until the grains are soft and tender
but not falling apart, about 45 minutes. Drain. When the beans are cooked,
stir in the farro. Simmer for another 10 minutes; be careful not to overcook.
Serve the soup with extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top and a few grinds
of pepper.

Serves 8.

**************************************************************************

YOUNG TURNIP AND SWEET POTATO SOUP



(Ah the little baby turnip. It gets no love yet everything you do to it makes it better!) ~Chef Didier 8^D


2 leeks
1 medium onion
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 teaspoon
Salt and pepper
6 bunches small young turnips with greens (2 to 3 pounds)
2 russet potatoes
1 small sweet potato
2 quarts chicken stock

Remove the coarse outer leaves and dark green tops from the leeks, rinse
thoroughly, and dice. Peel and dice the onion. Sauté the leeks and onion
over medium heat in the butter and cook until soft. Season with salt and
pepper.

Trim the greens from the turnips. Reserve the greens of 2 bunches to
garnish the soup, and save the rest for another meal. Peel and dice the
turnips and potatoes. If the turnips are tender, it is not necessary to peel
them. Add the turnips and potatoes to the onions and leeks and stew gently
for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the chicken stock and
simmer until the potatoes and turnips are fully cooked, about 15 minutes.

Purée in a blender until smooth or pass through a food mill. Season to
taste with salt and pepper.

Wash the reserved turnip greens and chop roughly. Sauté over high heat
in the teaspoon of butter until just wilted. Purée the greens in a blender or
pass through a food mill. Serve the soup warm and add a spoonful of the
puréed greens to each bowl. Stir the greens into the soup to turn it pale
green.

Serves 6 to 8


both recipes from "Chez Panisse"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/152708.Chez_Panisse_Caf_Cookbook


Happy Soups! Enjoy.