| Fast Prep

fennel and bean ham-bone soup

prep: 30 minutes | soak: 1 hour | cook: 1 hour | MAKES: 8 servings (1 cup each)

• 1 lb. dried Great Northern beans
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 1- to 1½-lb. meaty ham bone or 1 to 1½ lb. meaty smoked pork hocks
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and cut into thin wedges (see tip below)
• 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise, or frozen cut green beans
• 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh oregano and/or thyme
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1. Rinse dried beans; drain. In a 5-qt. pot combine beans and 8 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. (Or place beans in water in the pot. Let soak in a cool place overnight.) Drain and rinse beans; set beans aside.

2. In the same pot melt butter over medium heat. Add ham bone and brown on all sides. Stir in Great Northern beans, salt, pepper, and 8 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 1 to 1½ hours or until beans are tender, adding fennel, green beans, and carrots for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

3. Remove ham bone. When cool enough to handle, cut meat off bone. Coarsely chop meat. Add meat and oregano to soup in pot. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar just before serving.

PER SERVING: 264 cal., 6 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 20 mg chol., 269 mg sodium, 39 g carb., 11 g fiber, 4 g sugars, 16 g pro.

ALL ABOUT FENNEL

Fennel has a light but distinct licoricelike flavor that mellows and sweetens when cooked. When buying fennel, look for firm, plump bulbs with fresh greenery that has no signs of browning or wilting. To prepare fennel, trim it about 1 inch above the bulb, then cut it lengthwise into quarters. Cut away the core from each piece and then slice into wedges. Save some of the bright green fronds for garnish.