French Peasant Soup
By: Shoshanna Levy
Published: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - 12:11am

Ingredients




4 quarts filtered water
12 ounces great northern beans*, picked over
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
6 carrots, half-inch pieces
4 celery stalks, half-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 tablespoons butter, ½ stick
1 small head green or purple cabbage, chopped
5 mediums potatoes, diced (can sub sweet potato)
Himalyan salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

1 * Claire's recipe called for 3/4 pound beans. 12 ounces makes more sense to me - same thing. :)) 2 1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add beans, reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered 30 minutes, stirring frequently and skimming off any foam that rises to the top. 3 2. Add the onions, garlic, olive oil, thyme, bay leaf, basil, carrots, celery, parsley, butter, and cabbage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring frequently, until beans are nearly tender. 4 3. Add potatoes, salt and pepper and continue simmering 30 to 45 minutes, until beans are very soft and the soup is thick. Adjust seasonings and serve hot. 5 Notes: A stew-like soup. Improves in flavor as it sits in refrigerator for a day or two.