Edible Phoenix is part Edible communities, a nationwide movement to support buying local food products. They provided this soup recipe which appeared in a recent issues of their magazine. The soup comes from Executive Chef Edward Farrow of Café at MIM. He met farmer Carl Seacat of Seacat Gardens while working at a previous restaurant and kept in touch. Chef created this light and healthy soup to showcase the wild Italian arugula grown at Seacat Gardens.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces The Meat Shop bacon, small dice
- 1 medium sweet onion, small dice,
- 4 stalks of celery, small dice
- 2 carrots peeled, small dice
- 1 Anaheim chile, small dice
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small bunch thyme, leaves only
- 2 sprigs of sage, leaves only
- 1 gallon vegetable stock
- 6 ounces white tepary beans, cooked – see note
- 6 ounces brown tepary beans, cooked – see note
- 1½ pounds Seacat Gardens arugula leaves (no stem)
- 2 lemons
- 2 limes
- Salt to taste
- Crostini (recipe follows)
- Arugula pesto (recipe follows)
Cook bacon slowly over moderate heat to render as much fat as possible. Add onion, carrot, celery and chile, and cook until translucent. Then add minced garlic and herbs. Sweat slowly for 5 minutes, making sure you gain no color on the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock and beans. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1½ pounds of Seacat Gardens arugula to simmering liquid. Stir vigorously and turn off fire. Squeeze the juice of both citrus into soup. Season with salt to taste. Serve with grilled crostini spread with arugula pesto.
Serves 16; recipe may be halved.
Note: tepary beans are small firm beans native to Arizona. You can substitute navy beans, lentils or other small legumes.
Crostini
- 1 baguette (thin loaf of French bread)
- Olive oil
Slice baguette at an angle. Brush with olive oil and grill over medium heat until toasted, a couple minutes.
Seacat Arugula Pesto
- ½ pound Seacat Gardens arugula leaves (no stems)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For more Soups of the Week Click Here
About Pamela Hamilton, Publisher and Editor of Edible Phoenix
Pamela Hamilton has enjoyed living, food shopping and dining around the world. She established Edible Phoenix magazine to celebrate the abundance of the Valley season by season. “There are so many amazing people quietly establishing and carrying on food traditions in the Valley who are passionate about what they do, but you have to really look to find them. Often they don’t have the support they need. One of my jobs is to unearth these ‘hidden gems’ and to get their stories out to the general public.”
Pamela is the Governor of the Southwest region for Slow Food and is a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier. She is a past co-leader of Slow Food Phoenix and currently serves as Treasurer for the local chapter. Pamela serves as a board member for Community Food Connections and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She was formerly a management consultant and holds a Bachelor degree from Stanford University. Click here to learn more about Edible Phoenix.
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