2cups10 oz cooked cannelinni beans or roughly ¾ cup (3oz) dried beans
1cupbean cooking liquid or stock
Kosher saltto taste
4cupshomemade porkchicken, or vegetable stock and/or a combination using the bean cooking liquid
¼cupolive oilplus plenty for serving
Fresh cracked black pepperfor serving
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the greens at a rapid boil for 1 minute, then refresh in cold water and allow the greens to sit in it for at least an hour or so to help calm the flavors, especially if using strong tasting greens. If you like mild greens, you may not need to soak them.
Remove the greens, squeeze dry and chop medium-fine and reserve.
Puree the carrot, garlic, onion and celery in a food processor or blender and reserve.
Heat the oil in a soup pot and cook the vegetable puree for 10 minutes or until starting to brown around the edges, stir it here and there so it cooks evenly, you want to tame the garlic here. Add the stock, bean cooking liquid, or enough liquid to make a puree, and ½ cup of the beans, heat, and puree with a handblender (food mills are often used).
Add the greens and the rest of the beans, season with a good pinch of salt and cook for 30-45 minutes, or until the greens are very tender. Double check the seasoning, adjust as needed for salt and pepper, also consider adding some liquid if it looks dry, and, preferably, chill the soup overnight to let the flavors meld.
To serve the soup, ladle 1 cup of soup into a bowl, garnish with plenty of olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and one of the mignecci, cut in half, to scoop up the greens with.
Notes
Traditionally dried gallorini beans are used here, but they're impossible to get (trust me, I tried). White cannelinni beans are about the closest thing, but dried chickpeas are great too, and always nice with greens.