Spring Vegetable-Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 12 baby artichokes
- 6 C. chicken broth
- 1 C. small boiling onions, peeled and halved, or pearl onions
- 4 oz. pancetta or 5 slices crisp-cooked bacon, drained and cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 C. cooked* or canned fava or lima beans, rinsed and drained
- 12 oz. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
- 1/4 C. snipped fennel leaves
Directions
Remove tough outer green leaves from artichokes. The inside leaves will be more tender and greenish-yellow. Snip off about 1 inch from the top leaf tops, cutting where the green meets the yellow. Trim the stems. Quarter the artichokes lengthwise and set aside. In a 4-qt. Dutch oven combine broth, onions, pancetta or bacon, fennel seed, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add artichokes and beans; cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and fennel; cook for 5 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Top with snipped fennel leaves.
Makes 8 side-dish servings.
Note: To cook fresh or frozen fava or lima beans, simmer, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 15 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. When cool, remove skins from fava beans. For 2 C. of cooked fava beans, purchase 2 lb. of fava beans in the pod.
