When the beans in the garden are young and tender, we lightly steam them before adding them to a salad nicoise. In years past the birds have pilfered most of the bean seeds we’ve planted so yields are meager and cherished. This past year, however, I replanted several times and heaped a layer of straw on the bed to try and fool the feathered thieves. The result was an abundance of beans which sent us searching for new ways to use large quantities of them at once.
I went back to a recipe in an old Moosewood cookbook. So old, it was when the author, Mollie Katzen, was handwriting and illustrating her recipes. Moosewood’s bean soup is just beans and milk. Salt and pepper to taste if you’d like, or any addition of herbs and toppings. The glory of this simple soup is the taste. The pure, unadulterated taste of fresh beans.
This soup is truly perfect just by itself but also opens itself up to many possible additions. We made it often during the height of the season and enhanced it with fresh herbs, smoked salmon, mushrooms, and more. Turns out the flavor of this soup pairs beautifully with a lot of things!
Here is the recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest in its full illustrated version:
