Peruano Bean, Red Kale and Tomato Soup with Parsley Pesto

Peruano Bean, Red Kale and Tomato Soup with Parsley Pesto 

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2 cups Peruano Beans (Canary Beans), dry

4 cloves Garlic

4 Carrots, sliced

3 stalks Celery, diced

1 red bell Pepper, diced

1 med to large Brown Onion

1 bunch or Red Kale, washed and sliced

5 cups Tomato Juice (unsalted)

6-8 cups water, herb or vegetable broth ***

1 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional)

½ teaspoon Pepper

3-4 Bay leaves

2 tsp Smoked Paprika

¼ tsp freshly grated Nutmeg

Parsley Pesto

1 ½ cups Parsley leaves

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese

2 cloves Garlic

1 Tbsp fresh Lemon juice

⅓ cup Olive Oil

Place garlic in food processor and pulse until minced, add remaining ingredients and pulse until blended but not liquid.

Bouquet Garni

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh sage

4 sprigs fresh marjoram

Tie herbs together with kitchen string, toss in soup.

Directions for soup:

Pick over the beans and rinse in cold water. Place beans and bay leaves in a 6 quart dutch oven or stockpot, cover with water making sure it is about 2 inches above the beans; about 6 cups should do it. Bring beans to a boil; turn off heat and let sit, covered, for one hour.   

Prepare your vegetables while the beans are resting. Add your vegetables, herb garni and spices after the one hour. Hold off on the salt until beans are tender, (and the Parsley Pesto may be salty enough with the Parmesan cheese). Add the tomato juice, sliced kale and enough water to cover everything by an inch or two. 

Simmer until the beans and vegetables are tender, about 1½ hours.  Check every 20 minutes to make sure that the vegetables are still covered in broth.  This is a thick, chunky soup but you will want some broth, you can use water or vegetable broth.  Serve soup in large bowls with a spoonful of the Parsley Pesto on top. 

***I often make an herb broth and let it simmer on the stove on the day that I am making soup., I make up an extra bouquet garni but without the bay leaves and add some onion scraps, potato peels and any other vegetable scraps that I have on hand. In this recipe I used the stems from the kale.  Wilted celery is another one you can add or use the celery leaves.  This broth is wonderful for just about any soup you are making and adds more flavor than water.

Don't toss these Red Kale stems, use them in your vegetable stock.

 My freezer Tomato Juice that I made in August.