White Bean Soup with Spanish Chorizo & Sage-Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Chef Jonathan Pflueger- Vertical Wine Bar-Restaurant

For Soup
 

3 lbs cannellini white beans, cooked

¼ cup each fine diced:

            fennel

            red onion

            carrot

            celery

1/8 cup chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves

1 teaspoon chopped lemon zest

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¼ cup mascarpone or cream cheese

butter to sauté

salt and pepper to taste

§  Sauté vegetables, garlic, thyme and lemon zest, until just soft

§  Add beans and stock.  Bring to boil.  Simmer 10 minutes

§  Purée half the soup, adding cheeses.  Add to the remaining beans.  Season to taste

 

3 lbs Spanish Chorizo

2 cups white wine or Spanish sherry

§  Sauté sausages until you have color on all sides

§  Add wine to pan and cook until chorizo is cooked through.

 

For Pesto

2 cups sage leaves

1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Juice of 3 lemons

1 cup grated parmesan

2 cups olive oil

§  Purée ingredients.

§  Season to taste.

 

To Serve and Garnish

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup grated parmesan

cracked black pepper

§  Ladle soup in bowl.

§  Slice chorizo and fan in center of bowl

§  Drizzle pesto on top of soup.

Finish with remaining garnishes