Basque Pumpkin and White Bean Soup Recipe from: The Greens Cookbook: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from the Celebrated Restaurant by Deborah Madison The Stock: Use the cooking water from the beans combined with a light stock made from the following ingredients: Seeds and parings from a 1 pound pumpkin or winter squash 1-1/2 cups leek greens, chopped and washed 5 parsley branches 4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 cups cold water First, cut the pumpkin in half, then scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers with a metal spoon. Next, cut the halves into slices an inch or so thick, and cut the skins off each slice with a paring knife and set them aside. Put the seeds and parings in a pot with the rest of the stock ingredients, bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes, and then strain. The Beans: 1/2 cup Cannellini or Great Northern beans 3 fresh sage leaves 1 large clove garlic, peeled and left whole 1 bay leaf 2 thyme branches 1/2 teaspoon salt 5-6 cups water Cover the beans with water and soak them overnight. Pour off the soaking water and put the beans in a pot with the rest of the ingredients and bring them to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, lower the heat and cook the beans at a slow boil until they are tender -- 45 minutes to an hour. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking water. The Vegetables: Peeled and seeded pumpkin slices from the stock 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil 3 leeks, white part only, quartered and cut into 1/4" pieces 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes 1 celery heart or 2 outer stalks, cut into 1/4" dice 1 large clove garlic, finely minced 1-2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional) 2 large sage leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt Stock Reserved cooking water from the beans Pepper 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped Additional olive oil for garnish Cut the pumpkin slices into 1/2" squares. Warm the oil in a soup pot and add the pumpkin, vegetables, garlic, nutritional yeast (if using), sage, and salt. Stir to coat everything with a film of oil, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and the cooking water from the beans (about 8 cups in all). Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour, until the pumpkin begins to soften and fall apart. Add the beans and continue cooking until the pumpkin has broken into a smooth puree. Taste for salt and season with more if needed, as well as a generous grinding of black pepper. Serve the soup with the parsley and a small spoonful of olive oil stirred into each bowl. As the soup sits, the flavors will develop, so it can be made one or two days in advance of serving. Can be warmly contrasted with a pinot noir or a wood-aged chardonnay. http://www.worldfamousrecipes.com/ http://www.recipesrecipe.com/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chicken-recipes-mailing-list/ http://www.quotesquotes.com/ http://quotations.home.worldnet.att.net/ http://www.quotesfromfamouspeople.com/ http://www.quotescentral.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-famous-recipes/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
