Gnocchi And Escarole Soup - {Zuppa Di Gnocchetti E Scarola}

Recipe Ingredients

1 cup	160g / 5.6oz	Dried red kidney beans - picked over
7 cups	1659ml	Water
2 teaspoons	10ml	Fine sea salt
1 cup	237ml	Gnocchetti, orzo, or ditalini
1/4 lb	113g / 4oz	Pancetta or bacon - diced
1 lb	454g / 16oz	Leek (abt 8 oz), white part only - washed well, (large)
		And thinly sliced
1 lb	454g / 16oz	Escarole - washed, drained,
		And coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Celery salt
3 cups	711ml	Hot beef broth or veal stock
1 tablespoon	15ml	Tomato paste
		Grinding of black pepper
		Rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Recipe Instructions

Soak the beans overnight in 2 cups of the water. Next day, drain the beans, put them in a 2-quart saucepan, cover them with water, bring them to a boil, and continue to let them boil until just al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water, place them in a large bowl, and set aside.

Refill the saucepan with the remaining 5 cups water, bring to a boil, stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and the gnocchetti and cook over medium-high heat until just al dente. Drain and add the gnocchetti to the kidney beans.

In a soup pot, slowly brown the pancetta over medium heat, stirring often until it softens and begins to render some of its fat. Add the sliced leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the escarole, remaining teaspoon salt, celery salt, stock, reserved cooking water, tomato paste, pepper, and cheese rinds. Cover the pot, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, stir in the kidney beans and gnocchetti, cover the pot, and cook 5 minutes longer before serving.

Tip: Clean escarole well by soaking it in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse again in a colander. This also works for leeks. Cut them in half lengthwise first.

Tip: When you can no longer grate the remaining Parmigiano cheese near the rind, add the rind to the soup pot along with the stock and water. At the end of the cooking time, remove the rinds, scrape off the softened cheese, discarding the rind, and stir it back into the soup.

Note: The soup can be made several days ahead but will thicken as it stands. Reheat it, adding warm water if a thinner consistency is desired.

from "Mangia Pasta!" by Mary A. Esposito, (Morrow Cookbooks, 1998)

This recipe yields 2 quarts.

Source:
Ciao Italia at http://www.ciaoitalia.com

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