White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio

Flecked with dill, this healthful stew blew our tasters away. (If you think you don't like bitter radicchio, give it a try; the marinating softens the bitterness and it's so pretty piled on the pale soup.) The recipe comes from the cookbook Every Season is Soup Season (Chronicle Books, $33), by Indiana author Shelly Westerhausen Worcel. Each recipe comes with inspiration to reinvent leftovers as a completely different dish—the stew becomes the base for White Bean and Dill Dip.

White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio
White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio. Photo: Shelly Westerhausen Worcel/Courtesy of Chronicle Books
Servings:
4
Yield:
6.5 cups soup, 1.25 cups marinated radicchio

Ingredients

Marinated Radicchio

  • 1 small head radicchio, cored and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 lemon, zested (1 tsp.) and juiced (3 Tbsp.)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Soup

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 1 small bulb fennel, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced

  • 1 onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ¼ cup dry white wine

  • 2 15-ounce cans white beans, such as cannellini or great Northern, rinsed

  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill weed

  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

Marinated Radicchio

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the radicchio, lemon zest and juice, oil, and salt. Using clean hands, massage the radicchio for a few minutes or until it's completely coated and slightly softened. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Soup

  1. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the fennel and onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper, and salt and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the wine and simmer until the wine is mostly cooked off, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans, vegetable broth, and pepper. Raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

  2. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and the dill weed. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice as needed. Divide the soup between four to six bowls and top with marinated radicchio and Parmesan. Serve warm.

Pressure Cooker Prepare the marinated radicchio as instructed. Starting at step 1 of Soup, use the Sauté option on your pressure cooker to cook the aromatics and reduce the wine. Add 3 1/2 cups of vegetable broth instead of 4 cups. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes (making sure the pressure valve is closed). Quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Proceed with step 2.

Storage Store the radicchio and soup refrigerated in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days. The soup (but not the radicchio) should also be OK in the freezer for up to 2 months, but the beans will lose most of their texture.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 349 cal, 18 g fat, 2 mg chol, 42 g carbo, 1,244 mg sodium, 13 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 15 g pro.

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