Very traditional recipe, very health plate or “grandma’s hot dish,” this green bean soup. Ideal for warming up without overwhelming you, but above all for put your stomach back together after some excess of gluttony or an accumulation of dinners with friends.
Although they are legumes (they are immature bean pods) Green beans can be considered common vegetables.. In fact, unlike peas, broad beans, beans and chickpeas, not only the seeds of green beans are eaten, but also the entire pod. In addition (a greater difference with other legumes) they are quite poor in proteins, fats and carbohydrates, so they have a low caloric intake. On the other hand they are rich in beneficial properties: fiber, many mineral salts, vitamins and antioxidants.
For lovers of tradition it must be said that The use of green beans has been considered regenerating for centuries.. Our grandmothers knew this very well. Pellegrino Artusi, in his famous recipe book from 1891, advised people with “weak stomach” problems to eat very few vegetables. The only ones recommended were spinach, turnip greens, cardoons, beets, asparagus, zucchini and, of course, green beans.
The recipe we propose is traditional from Piedmont and, in particular, from the alpine valleys bordering Switzerland: Val d’Ossola and surrounding areas. It should be noted that, although Italy is very rich in recipes based on green beans, we do not know of other typical soups based solely on green beans. The only exception is Campania, where, however, more than a soup it is a green bean and tomato soup.
The green bean soup that we propose is a little different from the one reported in traditional Piedmontese recipe books. which is one soup made only with green beans. That is, exactly as our recipe indicates, but without potatoes. The rest is identical, including the bread croutonsthat once had an important role to satisfy and today they have it for pleasure.
In this sense, consider that, since it is a very poor recipe, what Once used it was simply stale bread.. Or even dried, put on the plate and softened like a soup in the soup that is poured on top. Then we move on to the more “noble” toasted bread, but used like the hard bread of yesteryear. We advise you that Serve the croutons outside the soup.very little garlic and seasoned with a little salt and a splash of good oil.
It should be emphasized that this The soup is very balanced from a nutritional point of view.. Even considering the presence of lard (15g each), which is generally considered a cholesterol and body weight killer. But it is wrong, because, taken in moderation and in correct combination with other substances, it also A modest consumption of lard can be part of a healthy diet.. In our case, given the predominant role of vegetables and the modest role of carbohydrates, lard guarantees an adequate feeling of satiety, a clear improvement in flavor and a fair increase in the nutritional value of the green bean soup .
As mentioned, however, the The introduction of potatoes is new. compared to the traditional recipe. But not too recent. I added it because I had green bean soup several times in the Canavese area, about 30 years ago, at the family pension where I lived. And there was regularly the potato. Which I am convinced enriched the complexity and flavor of the dish well.
- 500 g green beans, peeled and cleaned
- 1 potato
- 1.5 liters of broth
- 60 g white lard
- 3 garlic cloves
- Homemade bread to toast in the oven
- Laurel
- Sage
- Finely chop the butter and garlic cloves and brown them in a saucepan for 3-4 minutes over very low heat. The butter should sweat and melt, but should not brown.
- Rinse the green beans, cut them into more or less tiny pieces and add them to the sauce. Let them season for a minute, stirring, and cover with all the boiling broth. Season with a bay leaf, 3-4 sage leaves and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the potato, rinse it and cut it into cubes. After 10 minutes of cooking the green beans, add the potato, season with salt if necessary and complete the cooking. It will take between 12 and 15 minutes depending on the size of the potato cubes. Finally, serve your green bean soup immediately, piping hot and accompanied by toasted bread croutons.