Italian Butter Bean and Black Kale Soup, Fregula Sarda and Pepper Pecorino

This recipe comes from Alessandro Cartumini of Quattro Restaurant & Bar.

Serves 4

2 cups Iacopi Farms Italian butter beans soaked overnight in cold water
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 medium red onion, peeled
4 garlic cloves
2 stalks celery, washed and peeled
1/2 vanilla bean
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fregula pasta
1 pinch saffron threads
1 quart chicken stock
1 bunch black kale leaves, middle white stalk removed, washed and roughly chopped
6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 ounces pepper pecorino, shaved
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for garnish

1. Drain and rinse beans.  Place beans in a medium stock pot with the carrot, onion, garlic, celery and vanilla bean.  Cover with chicken stock and bring to simmer.

2. Cook for about 1 hour, or until beans are soft.

3. Season cooking liquid with salt.  Remove the vegetables and discard vanilla bean.  Let beans cool in their cooking liquid.  Once cool, remove beans and reserve cooking liquid.  Small dice vegetables and reserve.

4. Heat oil in a sauce pan, add fregula and toast for about 1 minute.  Cover with reserved cooking liquid and simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. Add beans, diced vegetables, kale, saffron and remaining cooking liquid and bring to boil.  Lower heat and simmer until kale is cooked.

6. Place basil leaves on the bottom of four soup bowls.  Pour soup into serving bowl and top with shaved pecorino.  Drizzle each bowl with olive oil.

This recipe was demonstrated as part of the Market to Table events organized by CUESA, the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. www.cuesa.org.