Celebrate the arrival of the Fall Equinox by making the traditional peasant soup combining the last vegetables of summer and the first of the fall. If you have more time, you can roast the vegetables in the oven and then add to the pot with the water.
Dice onions to make 2 C. Saute in a large pot with 3 T. olive oil until tender, then add 3 T. fresh or 3 t. dried herbs: basil, oregano, marjoram and thyme. Core 3 sweet peppers and dice, then add to the pot.
Core and dice tomatoes to make 2 C. Add to the pot along with 3 minced cloves of garlic. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes release their juices. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Add 6 C. water and 1 large diced potato. Bring to a boil, the lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the potato is tender.
Trim and dice 2 handfuls of Green beans.
Drain and rinse 1 can of Cannellini beans (or use home-cooked).
Remove the stems from 1 bunch of kale, then rinse and roughly chop it.
Add the green beans and kale to the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the cannellini beans, stir to combine, then cook until they are heated through.
If you want to thicken the soup, use a slotted spoon to remove a cup’s worth of beans and potatoes along with a Cup of the broth. Puree or blender, then stir back into the soup and cook another few minutes.
Like most soups, this gets better the second day as the flavors have more time to develop.