White Bean and Porcini Mushroom Soup

Dried porcini mushrooms are a beautiful thing. They have a meaty flavor, and a deep umami taste. Boil dried porcinis in water, and you have yourself the best vegetarian substitute for beef broth.  I always rehydrate extra porcinis, and freeze the stock in ice cube trays. This way I always have a flavorful stock on hand for soups.

Try to buy local porcini mushrooms if you can; they will be cheaper than the imported ones. And remember, fresh porcinis are not the same as the dried ones. Dried porcini mushrooms have a lovely, depth of taste that the fresh ones simply don’t have.

Because dried mushrooms vary in size, its best to weigh them (cup measurements wont work). In case you are in the market for a great kitchen scale, Escali scales are great.

I like to soak and cook my own beans. It’s healthier, cheaper and tastier. Soak beans overnight in water, and drain. Then cover them with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and let the beans simmer till done – about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Then drain. I know this sounds like a long time, but you don’t have to baby sit the beans, they pretty much take care of themselves. You can cook any kind of bean this way and save it in the fridge for several days to use in soups, salads, chili etc.

White beans like cannellini or navy are so silky and creamy when cooked, you really dont need to add any milk or cream to this. So this white bean and porcini soup is vegan. However, if you want to make this soup richer and creamier, just add 1/4 cup heavy cream right at the end.

White Bean and Porcini Mushroom Soup Recipe

serves about 4

Ingredients
1 cup dried white beans (cannellini or navy beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ cup dry white wine, optional
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms

Method
Soak the dried white beans overnight in water. Then drain them.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil, and cook the onions on low heat till they are translucent. Don’t let the onions brown. Then add the garlic, rosemary, cracked black pepper, and salt. Cook 30 seconds, or till the garlic is fragrant. Don’t let the garlic brown.

Pour in white wine if using, increase heat to medium-high and let the wine bubble away, till most of it evaporates.

Then add the beans, and 4 cups of water. Bring the soup to a rolling boil on high heat. Then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid, and let the soup simmer till the beans are very soft – about 1 to 1.5 hour.

While the beans are cooking, rehydrate the mushrooms.

Boil 3 cup water in a medium saucepan. When the water boils, add the dried porcinis to the water. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Cover the pan, and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes or till the mushrooms are rehydrated and soft. The mushrooms are done when you prick them with a fork, and they feel soft. If the mushrooms feel leathery, tough or hard, they need to cook more.

Depending on the size of the mushrooms, this may take more or less time, so check on the mushrooms periodically.

Turn off heat, and let the mushrooms sit in the stock for about 10 minutes. This will allow the sandy sediments to settle in the bottom of the pan. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the rehydrated porcinis from the liquid. Using a wooden spoon, press on the mushrooms to squeeze out some of the water back into the pan. Reserve the mushrooms.

When the sediment has settled to the bottom of the pan, pour the mushroom cooking liquid into a measuring cup. Do not use the sediment at the bottom. Measure out 2 cups of mushroom stock. Reserve this stock.

When the beans are cooked, add the rehydrated mushrooms, and the mushroom stock and boil for 1 more minute. Turn off heat. If you want a richer soup, add ¼ cup of heavy cream at this point.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup till it is smooth. You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the soup.
Remember to vent the lid a little when blending hot liquids.

Garnish with chopped rosemary, and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve soup with crusty bread.

White Bean(Cannellini), Asparagus and Basil Hummus or Dip

We have a lot of Salvia plants in our garden. I particularly love the ones around our mail box. Come spring, and the Salvia erupt into a glorious bloom. This year, our Salvia are particularly lush and gorgeous, probably because of all the rain. Nothing makes me happier than coming home to these purple tufts of Salvia, buzzing with bees.

Just as the blooming of Salvia flowers remind me of the joys of spring, so do the stalks of asparagus at the farmers market. I made a healthy, vegan dip or hummus with fresh asparagus stalks and some white beans. This dip come together in no time and is a lighter alternative to creamy store bought dips. I also like using this as a spread for sandwiches.


White beans or cannellini beans add a nice creaminess to this dip/spread without the added fat. I used asparagus because it is now is season. Broccoli or spinach would also work.  

Basil and lemon juice add a fresh, bright taste. If you like it more lemony, stir in some lemon zest.

Here are some other white bean/ cannellini bean based dips around the web

Giadas white bean dip. Gotta love Giada!
Cannellini bean dip with sage and rosemary by Andrea Meyers
Easy white bean dip on cheap healthy good blog

White Beans (Cannellini), Asparagus and Basil Hummus Dip Recipe

makes about 1 1/2 cups

6-8 stalks of asparagus
one 15 oz can white beans/cannellini beans, washed and drained well
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup basil leaves
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper

Chop off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus stalks. Chop the asparagus into pieces. Boil asparagus in some water, till asparagus is tender. Drain well and place asparagus in a blender. Place all other ingredient in the blender as well. Puree as smooth or as chunky as you like. Serve chilled with vegetable crudites, chips or pita bread.

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean ‘Patties’

 

jamaican patties

Just as I was prepping to make these yummy savory pastries, we heard a little ‘thud’ outside. S and I went out to the deck to see what was going on. It was a little red bird lying motionless and belly up on the deck. Little red feathers were floating down. We quickly realized what had happened. The poor bird had crashed into our living room window mid-flight. Apparently 100 million birds die each year, crashing into transparent windows.

S was going to sweep up the bird after dinner. And I returned to making the Jamaican patties, which incidentally were so incredibly super fabulously good that I can’t stop thinking about them. Next time I will have to make a few million of these and freeze them. Anyways, I digress. So when I opened the oven door to take out the freshly baked, heavenly smelling patties, I head another sound outside. I peeped out the window.

The dead bird was waking up and about to fly away!
The dead bird smelled my wonderful Jamaican patties and came back alive!!
Or that’s what I’d like to believe.

I later read online that many birds that hit windows are just passed out, not dead. Good we didn’t bury the poor fella when we found him. But I still think the bird woke up because it smelled the Jamaican patties.

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean 'Patties'

 Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean ‘Patties’
makes 8 muffin sized ‘patties’

This is my interpretation of a Jamaican patty, so its not exactly authentic, but very tasty nevertheless. A traditional Jamaican patty or pattie is half moon shaped and generally filled with meat. The flaky outer crust is made with flour and butter or shortening, and the crust is yellow from the addition of turmeric. As a short cut, I used store bought puff pastry with turmeric sprinkled on top. I baked these in a muffin pan. You don’t have to use a muffin pan, you could bake them like you would a turnover.

1 sheet puff pastry
1 can Cannellini Beans
1 bunch Kale
¼ tsp chopped green chili, or scotch bonnet (this is a very hot pepper), or a few pinches of crushed red pepper
1 tsp minced or grated garlic
1 tsp minced or grated ginger
1 tbsp curry powder (my curry powder is very mild so I used 1 tbsp. start with half, taste, and then add more if needed)
¼ tsp + 1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tsp vinegar
Salt
½ tbsp milk for brushing
½ tbsp vegetable oil

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean 'Patties'

Thaw the puff pastry for 45 minutes. While the puff pastry is thawing, work on the filling.

In a large pot, bring plenty of water to a boil. Add some salt and the vinegar to the water. The vinegar will help retain the color of the kale. Remove and discard the tough stems from the kale. Roughly chop the kale. When the water comes to a boil, drop the chopped kale in the water. Blanch for 1 minute. Then drain the kale. Wash it with cold water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze out all the water from the kale and set aside.

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean 'Patties'

Drain and wash the cannellini beans. Heat oil in a skillet and add the garlic, ginger and chopped chilies, (or scotch bonnet peppers or crushed pepper). Cook, stirring on medium heat for about 30 seconds. Then add 1/8th tsp turmeric and the curry powder. Cook another 20-30 seconds. Make sure the curry powder doesn’t burn.

Now add the cannellini beans and blanched kale to the skillet. Turn off heat. Add salt and stir the mixture until everything is well combined.

Pre heat oven to 400F.

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non stick baking spray. You can skip this step if you are using a non stick pan.

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean 'Patties'

Lay out the thawed puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry sheet a little. Then using your hands, lift and gently stretch the pastry sheet to make it thinner.

Sprinkle 1/4th tsp turmeric all over the pastry sheet. Spread the turmeric as evenly as you can using your fingers. Now take a fork and prick all over the pastry sheet. This will ensure it doesn’t puff up on the oven.

Cut one third of the pastry sheet and set side. Cut the remaining pastry sheet into 8 equal squares. Gently stretch each piece out so that it lines a muffin cup. Place each square of pastry sheet into each cup of the muffin pan. The side with turmeric should be touching the pan. The side without turmeric should be touching the filling. If the corners of the pastry sheet are sticking out, cut them and use them to patch up other parts of the lining.

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean 'Patties'

Once you’ve lined all the muffin pan cups, fill them with the kale-white bean mixture. Take the reserved one third pastry sheet and cut it into 8 pieces. Gently stretch the pieces so they fit over the muffin pan cups. Place them over each cup, fold over the corners and lightly pinch the edges together.

Brush the tops with milk. Bake for 20 minutes or till the ‘patties’ are golden.

Jamaican Style Curried Kale and White Bean 'Patties'

This goes to the monthly mingle event over at Meeta’s lovely What’s For Lunch Honey? blog.

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