Beans, it's what's for Dinner

When I was younger, I thought I had the strangest palette of any fourteen years old I knew. While friends my age sat down to dinner tables littered with hamburger helper or homemade meatloaf, I was served escarole and cannellini. It was embarrassing especially since looking back – I had carnivores for friends who swore that the absence of meat in any dish prevented the dish itself from standing as a meal.

Years later I realize how unfortunate it was that I didn’t appreciate the finer things in life when they were served me to me atop a silver platter – literally; to this day my mother still decorates the kitchen and dining room tables with silver colored chargers. 

In the spirit of reconnecting with my younger self and my love of all things green, I decided to cook up a special recommendation from Eric Ripert’s, Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey, a deliciously narrated collection of recipes and stories stemming from all part of the world’s finest gardens.

Here is Eric's Tuscan Bean Soup Recipe:

• 1 can of cannellini beans
• salt & pepper
• 40z. prosciutto 
• 4 cups of chicken stock 
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 cup of peeled and diced carrots/ celery
• 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced (omit for those with easily aggravated tummies)
• 1 small bunch of kale
• 3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 thyme springs
• 3 tbsp. Italian parsley
• 
  
• Place the beans in a cold pot and add enough water so that the beans are covered. Season with salt. Bring the water to a boil and lower the heat to simmer (for about 20 min). 
• Heat oil and add prosciutto, onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook 6 to 8 min. 
• Add the chicken stock, kale, tomatoes, thyme, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to the pot. 
• Add 2 cups of water additionally. 
• Bring the soup to a summer - cooking for about 30 min.