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Collards

Southern Pasta e Fagioli

A couple of years ago, I started getting into eating more seasonally. I'm even working on my own collection of favorite seasonal recipes. In the South it's pretty easy to do. Much of southern cooking revolves around seasonal cooking. I know I'm not strict with it but it makes cooking more interesting and I think it's a great way to make better, more nutritious, food.
Now collards are an interesting vegetable. Many people only talk about collards around the New Year. Get your black eyed peas and collard greens for a prosperous New Year. But collards are a good green to keep around. I like to cut mine up and freeze them and use them throughout the cold months. I'll throw them in smoothies, make up some traditional black eyed peas and greens or put some in a soup. The thing you have to remember about collards is that they are a tough green. They can handle lots of cooking, whether is sauteing or boiling. It's best to cook them for awhile so that they'll soften up.
So the other night I wanted to make a pasta soup, something like a minestrone or pasta e fagioli. I love a thick, chunky soup, or as Rachel Ray calls them, "stoups". So, I took a couple different recipes and threw this together.
It turned out really good. The hubby really liked it, even as leftovers (which is saying something!). The collards can really hold up to the soup and gives the soup a bite.
But just so you know, pasta doesn't do so well soaking in a soup for awhile. It's fine for leftovers but I don't know that freezing would be too great. It keeps soaking up all the liquid till it falls apart. But hey, it's still good!
One of my favorite and first pasta e fagioli recipes was a Rachel Ray recipe: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2525
A couple other recipes I checked out were:
http://www.thekitchn.com/ribollita-tuscan-tomato-bread-131359
http://www.thekitchn.com/cozy-winter-recipe-onepot-past-135992

Southern Pasta e Fagioli

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1-2 cups collards (washed, stemmed and cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs rosemary
3-4 sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper
One container chicken broth (32 ounces), (4 cups)
one can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
One can cannellini beans (18 ounces)
1 cup short pasta (whatever you have, elbow, dialini, shells)
Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for serving
Crusty bread, for mopping

 PREPARATION
In a soup pot, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, collards, onion, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

 Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and beans, cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat. Simmer the soup for 10-15 minutes to soften the collards. Stir in the pasta, lower the heat and simmer until al dente. Discard the bay leaf and rosemary and thyme stems.

 Serve the soup in bowls with cheese. Serve with bread for mopping.


I hope this helps give you a new use and appreciation for a great southern winter staple!
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