Recipe for Fava Bean Pesto Soup with Prosciutto Wrapped Croutons

Fava BeansThis past weekend I hosted the First Annual Brooklyn Soup Swap at Rachael Mamane’s loft (this is also the location of her Bonhomie Supper Club) where over 20 supers came out to enjoy a delicious afternoon of drinking wine, eating cheese, bread, crackers, cheddar jalapeno biscuits, fig treats, and devouring the main attraction: the soups. There were 7 very different soups including a chilled melon soup with a blue cheese cookie, a mushroom and barley with greens soup, a cauliflower soup with fried beetroot and chive oil, a roasted cauliflower soup with spinach and fried shallots, a vegetable coconut soup, a creamy potato and bacon soup, and a fava bean and pesto soup that I brought. By then end of the swap we were all stuffed and took home cartons of each others soup to enjoy at home.

Recipe for Fava Bean Pesto Soup with Prosciutto Wrapped Croutons

Meal type Basil, Beans, Celery, Cheese, Dill, Leek, Potato
Season Fall, Spring, Winter

Ingredients

  • 6-8 cups of water 

  • 1 package of dry fava beans, soaked

  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

  • 6 white potatoes
  • 2 chives, chopped up

  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

  • 2 leeks, chopped - white part only

  • 2 celery ribs, chopped up

  • bunch of fresh basil

  • tablespoon of rosemary 

  • tablespoon of dill 

  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • salt 
and pepper
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts

  • 1 package of fresh basil

  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced 

  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

  • drizzle of olive oil



  • 1 loaf of crusty bread

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced and peeled 

  • 1 tablespoon of dried basil 

  • 1/2 package of prosciutto

Directions

1 Soak fava beans (overnight, if possible) or until soft.
2 Pour water into a pot and put on a medium flame.
3 Chop up the onions and garlic and place into the pot.
4 When the water comes to a boil add the fava beans, chives, basil, dill, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper.
5 Cover and let cook for two hours - checking on it periodically.
Prepare the pesto
6 Start by pouring the pine nuts into a bowl, along with some parmesan cheese.
7 Chop up the garlic and basil and drizzle some olive oil - coating the nuts and basil.
8 Place in a food processor or blender until the mixture becomes a paste.
9 Add the pesto to the soup and stir. Cover and let cook for another hour.
Prepare the croutons
10 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
11 Cut up the crusty bread into small squares on a baking tray.
12 In a small bowl mix the olive oil, basil, garlic powder and cheese.
13 Using a cooking brush, coat the pieces of bread.
14 Place in the oven and cook for five minutes (or until golden brown) on each side.
15 Turn off oven and let cool.
16 Cut the prosciutto into small stripes and wrap around the croutons until finished. Set aside.
17 Check on the soup. Taste (you may need some more salt and pepper) and serve with a prosciutto wrapped crouton.

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