Sausage and Cannellini Bean Soup w/ Fennel and Tuscan Kale
By: Devin Davis
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork (75/25)
2 cloves garlic, grated
¼ tsp. ground fennel seed
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 san Marzano tomatoes, canned, roughly chopped
½ cup white wine (pinot grigio)
2 quarts chicken stock
1 ½ cup cooked cannellini beans
Salt to taste
½ cup orecchiette pasta, dry
1 bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed and cut into strips
Freshly ground pecorino cheese, as needed
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Fresh chopped parsley, as needed
Fennel fronds, as needed
4 slices grilled ciabatta bread
In a small bowl, mix together the ground pork, garlic, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, black pepper, parsley, thyme, and salt. Heat a medium pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Roll small meatballs using two teaspoons of the pork mixture for each meatball. Brown the meat balls in the olive oil and then remove to a bowl. In the same pot add the onions and fennel and cook until slightly caramelized. Season with salt and add the garlic. Continue to saute for one minute, add the tomatoes, and then deglaze with the white wine. Allow the wine to simmer for 1 minute and then add in the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a simmer and then let it simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Add the beans to the soup and then place the reserved meatballs into the soup along with the juices that have collected in the bottom of the bowl. Simmer the soup slowly for 15 minutes. (At this point the soup can be refrigerated and the reheated and finished when ready to serve it) When you are ready to serve the soup, bring the soup to a gentle simmer and add the pasta and cook for 4 minutes. After four minutes add the kale and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente. Adjust the seasoning with salt and then serve the soup in four bowl topped with some freshly grated pecorino cheese, a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley, a few of the fennel fronds from the top of the fennel bulb, and a thick slice of grilled bread. I hope you enjoy this rich and warming soup, perfect for winter time.
