Cooking with Seasonal Savory: Savory Runner Bean Soup

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Savory Runner Bean Soup
SERVES 3 to 4
This comforting hot soup is just as tasty made with string beans.

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, leeks, or yellow onions
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-1/2 pounds scarlet runner beans, strings removed and sliced into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh winter savory (or 3/4 teaspoon dried), or 1 table­spoon minced fresh summer savory (or 1 ­teaspoon dried)
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
• Sprigs of winter or summer savory for ­garnish

1. In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter and olive oil for 5 minutes, or until slightly translucent. Stir in the beans, chicken stock, and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. 2. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the beans are just tender. 3. Add the savory and puree the mixture in batches in a food processor or blender. 4. Return the mixture to the saucepan, stir in the cream or milk, and reheat the soup. 5. Serve hot, garnished with the savory sprigs. 

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Recipes from Cooking from the Garden, by Rosalind Creasy (Sierra Club Books, 1988). Used with permission of the author.