Country Vegetable Soup
You can make your own stock from chicken backs and necks, as Peter Davis of Henrietta’s Table does. Or use canned stock. He simmers summer squash, zucchini, carrot, celery, fennel, white beans, and tomatoes in this soup, then finishes it with handfuls of spinach and arugula.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 summer squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 fresh fennel bulb, cut into small strips
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 ounces) whole tomatoes, crushed
2 quarts chicken stock (canned or homemade, see recipe)
1 cup fresh baby spinach, stemmed
1 cup fresh baby arugula, stemmed
1. In a stock pot, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, squash, zucchini, carrot, celery, fennel, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Set on the cover askew. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in the spinach and arugula. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Ladle the soup into bowls.
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