Country Vegetable Soup

By lucy1955

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon diced small white beans,rinsed and drained
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons each butter or margarine and olive oil
• 1 medium size onion,finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery,finely chopped
• 3 medium-size carrots,shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth or brown stock
• 1 can (1 lb ) tomatoes
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• salt
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium size pan,bring beans and water to a boil,continue to boil briskly for 2 minutes.Remove from heat;cover let stand for 1 hour (or if you prefer,cover beans with water and let stand overnihjt).In a 4 to 5-quart pan,or Dutch oven melt butter with oil over medium heat.Add onion,celery,and carrots;cook,stirring occasiobally until onion is soft,Mix in parsley,garlic ,sage,pepper,broth,and beans (with their liquid)Bring to a boil,cver,reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until beans are nearly tender.Add tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and their liquid.Continue to simmer,covered,until beans are very tender, (30 to 45 ninutes).With slotted spoon,remove about 1 cup of the cooked vegetables.Place in a blender or food processor with about 1/2 cup of the broth and whirl or process until smoothly pureed.Rturn puree to soup.Mix in cbbage and cook over medium heat,uncoved until welted and bright green ( 3 to 5 minutes).Taste and add salt if needed.Serve with Parmesan cheese to add to each serving,