White Bean Soup With Winter Greens

Ingredients

• 2 bay leaves
• 4 15 ounce(s) cans cooked white beans, drained
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 cup(s) chicken stock
• 2 ounce(s) cured ham, diced
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 pound(s) greens, a mixture of collards and Savoy cabbage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoon(s) minced garlic
• 3 tablespoon(s) minced parsley
• 1/4 cup(s) olive oil, plus more for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 2 cup(s) vegetable stock

Preparation

1. 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add ham, onion. shallots. carrots, garlic, parsley and bay leaves. Saute until vegetables are slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
2. 2. Add drained beans, chicken stock and vegetable stock. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Simmer for 1 hour.
3. 3. Remove bay leaves. In a blender, puree some ( about half) of the beans and vegetables with some of the liquid. Return puree to the pot and stir will. If soup is too thick, add a little water or stock.
4. 4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Wash the greens well; remove tough stems and bruised or tough outer leaves. Stack leaves, roll into a log and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch ribbons. Add greens to pot and simmer until tender.
5. 5. Drain greens, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Stir greens into the bean soup. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes. If soup is too thick, stir some of the reserved greens cooking liquid into it. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
6. 6. Serve in warm bowls, topping each with a drizzle of olive oil and some grated Parmesan.