White & Green Bean Garlic Soup

[Guest guest]

This is so tasty.  My cold weather favorite.

 

White & Green Bean  Garlic Soup

 

1 1/2 cups dried white beans, Great Northern, navy, or baby lima

6 cups water

4 - 5  cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsps. salt

4 cups vegetable broth

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. rosemary, crumbled

2 cups fresh green beans (about 3/4 lb), cut on the diagonal in 1-inch pieces

1 tbsp. butter

juice of 1/2 lemon

 

Wash and pick over the dried beans. Put them into a large saucepan or kettle

with the water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to

stand for 1 hour.

Return to the heat and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer, partially

covered, for 1/2 hour. Using a heavy fork, mash the garlic with the salt until

no large chunks remain. Add to the saucepan with the beans. Add the broth,

pepper, and rosemary. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender. This

can take 15 minutes or as long as 1 hour; timing for beans is hard to predict --

keep checking.

Soup can be made ahead to this point, and refrigerated or frozen after thorough

cooling. Cook the green beans uncovered in 2 quarts of boiling salted water

until they are tender-crisp and bright green. Drain and add to the soup when the

white beans are tender but not mushy. If green beans are not to be added right

away, rinse in cold water to retain color. Stir in the butter and lemon. Serve

at once, while green beans are still bright.

Note: If you want some of the soup pureed, do it before adding the green beans

-- the color will be better. Serves 6 to 8.