Basque Pumpkin and White Bean Soup

The Stock:
Use the cooking water from the beans combined with a light stock made
from the following ingredients:
Seeds and parings from a 1 pound pumpkin or winter squash
1-1/2 cups leek greens, chopped and washed
5 parsley branches
4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups cold water

First, cut the pumpkin in half, then scoop out the seeds and stringy
fibers with a metal spoon. Next, cut the halves into slices an inch or
so thick, and cut the skins off each slice with a paring knife and set
them aside. Put the seeds and parings in a pot with the rest of the
stock ingredients, bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes, and then
strain.


The Beans:
1/2 cup Cannellini or Great Northern beans
3 fresh sage leaves
1 large clove garlic, peeled and left whole
1 bay leaf
2 thyme branches
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups water

Cover the beans with water and soak them overnight. Pour off the
soaking water and put the beans in a pot with the rest of the
ingredients and bring them to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to
the surface, lower the heat and cook the beans at a slow boil until
they are tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain the beans and reserve
the cooking water.


The Vegetables:
Peeled and seeded pumpkin slices from the stock
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
3 leeks, white part only, quartered and cut into 1/4" pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes
1 celery heart or 2 outer stalks, cut into 1/4" dice
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1-2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional)
2 large sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stock
Reserved cooking water from the beans
Pepper
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Additional olive oil for garnish

Cut the pumpkin slices into 1/2" squares. Warm the oil in a soup pot
and add the pumpkin, vegetables, garlic, nutritional yeast (if using),
sage, and salt. Stir to coat everything with a film of oil, and cook
over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the
stock and the cooking water from the beans (about 8 cups in all). Bring
to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour, until the
pumpkin begins to soften and fall apart. Add the beans and continue
cooking until the pumpkin has broken into a smooth puree. Taste for
salt and season with more if needed as well as a generous grinding of
black pepper. Serve the soup with the parsley and a small spoonful of
olive oil stirred into each bowl. As the soup sits, the flavors will
develop, so it can be made one or two days in advance of serving. Can
be warmly contrasted with a pinot noir or a wood-aged chardonnay.

Recipe from: The Greens Cookbook: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from
the Celebrated Restaurant by Deborah Madison, 1987


Source: <http://www.phippscountry.com/beanrecipes2.htm>

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