Chicken, bean & kale soup

Chicken second courses

This recipe was inspired by some gigantic beans that I purchased in Napa, CA on a visit last fall. They're Rancho Gordo's heirloom Royal Corona beans, white beans shaped like limas, but much larger. They inflate even more when cooked and add a meaty, creamy texture to soups and stews. Unfortunately, they're a little hard to come by, so you can substitute cannellini or cassoulet beans instead. Canned beans are also fine, though I do prefer the texture of cooked dried beans. The recipe was inspired by one for a bean and swiss chard soup from Marcella Hazan's "Marcella's Italian Kitchen" (1987). That is a much simpler soup with many fewer ingredients. This one uses homemade chicken stock, but a low-sodium store-bought variety will also do, although I love the flavor a broth made with leftover roasted chicken bones and gravy gave to my soup! This was published on my blog last month. You can check it out at http://ruthtalksfood.blogspot.com/2015/01/an-elusive-but-very-big-bean-and-soup.html .