Heritage Bean, Bacon and Collard Soup
Snowy late winter weekends call for a warm, comforting meal with local ingredients. Jamie and Tere of Wyllie Fox Farm provided this soothing soup recipe which Tere says is original to "the Wyllie Fox Farm House Table." It features healthy collard greens, heritage beans, and shoulder bacon. All of the veggies are storage crops that can be stored in the larder, or from Finger Lakes farms in the winter.
Equipment
- Instapot/Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry beans (we like local Gianforte Farm beans grown in Cazenovia of ANY kind)
- 1 butternut squash (medium)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound shoulder bacon
- 1 large onion
- 4 to 5 stalks celery
- 4 to 5 carrots
- 1 quart stock of your choice
- 2 bunches collard greens
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Soak and cook your beans using whatever method you like (I recently have gotten into the Instapot method, it's magic).
- Peel and cube the squash. Coat with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in oven at 375 until carmelized.
- Slice the bacon into half inch cubes and saute in a heavy bottomed stock pot until barely crispy.
- Chop celery, carrot and onion and add to bacon. Saute until onion is translucent.
- Add the quart of stock and simmer lightly. I check the seasoning now, but take caution with the salt level. The bacon will release more salt as you simmer the soup.
- Chiffonade the collards and dunk in cool water to wash. In a separate pot, steam the greens until vibrant green (do not overcook). Season with salt, add a few glugs of olive oil, and one clove of fresh, crushed garlic. Incorporate the seasonings.
- Add beans to pot once veggies are al dente, add more stock to cover and make a nice broth, simmer 15 min or so.
- To serve, add desired amount of collards to the bottom of your bowl, same for the butternut squash chunks. Ladle bean and bacon soup over the top of greens and squash. I like to add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and a hefty dose of hard cheese, such as Romano. Garnish with 3 to 5 heads of cabbage per plate, steamed for about 3 minutes or until they turn a bright color.
