Creamy White Bean, Potato & Kale Chowder

Do you ever get spices for a specific dish and then wonder what to do with the rest of them?  Well this recipe is all about trying to use up dried tarragon.  It has white beans and kale to up the calcium, and mustard, lemon juice, and tarragon to up the flavour.

Ingredients

2 cans butter beans (Or another white bean such as cannellini)
2 Potato (Medium sized and starchy ones, diced)
2 grams kale (Frozen. Add an extra cup if using fresh)
1 Onion (Medium, diced)
3 Celery (This means 3 stalks, diced.)
2 Carrot (Medium, diced)
3 cloves Garlic (Minced)
1 teaspoon tarragon (Dried)
3 1⁄2 cups Vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Lemon juice

Info

Yield
4 Servings
Preparation time
10 minutes
Cooking time
25 minutes
Total time
35 minutes

Instructions

  1. Water-sauté the aromatic base:

    Place a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot with 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock or water. Sauté for 6–8 minutes, splashing in a tablespoon of stock whenever the base starts to stick, until the vegetables soften and lightly caramelise.

  2. Bloom the tarragon & garlic:

    Add the minced garlic and 1 tsp dried tarragon. Stir continuously for about 60 seconds until fragrant. Lightly heating the dried herb in the steam releases its natural volatile oils.

  3. Simmer the vegetables:

    Pour in the remaining vegetable stock, cubed potatoes, half of the drained white beans, and the nutritional yeast. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15–18 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

  4. Purée the creamy base:

    While the soup is simmering, place the remaining half of the white beans into a small blender with 1/2 cup of water (or a ladle of hot broth from the pot). Blend until completely smooth and velvety.

  5. Stir in the kale & thicken:

    Pour the blended bean purée and the Dijon mustard into the pot, stirring well to create a creamy broth. Add the frozen kale directly into the simmering soup (no need to thaw beforehand). Simmer uncovered for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kale is completely heated through and integrated into the chowder.

  6. Finish and season:

    Turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh lemon juice, which brightens the rich broth and complements the anise notes of the tarragon. Season to taste with salt and generous cracked black pepper.