Soup from the Garden

This has been the year to restore the gardens or give up. I have worked harder and longer in my gardens this year than I have in a very very long time. I now am gearing up to move plants. This Fall I am going to regroup.....

But for now I am enjoying the "veggies of my labor". I am trying use up my greens before they bolt. I found this great soup.  It was wonderful!!

Gabrielle Hamilton's Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
1 cup virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 inner celery stalks, leaves and stalks thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
5 medium garlic cloves, cut into thirds and smashed
2 small fennel bulbs, bottom trimmed  and thinly sliced
4 small yellow squash, seeds removed and medium dice
2 medium zucchini, seeds removed and medium diced
Kosher salt
Water
1 medium head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4 florets
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch Kale
1 bunch spinach
1/2 head escarole(I used a collection of Greens from my garden)
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and the butter in a large pot with a tight fitting lid over medium heat until the butter foams. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the garlic and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until soften. Add the yellow squash and the zucchini, season with salt and cook stirring occasionally until soften. Add enough water to cover the vegetables by 1 inch and bring to a boil.

Heat the cauliflower and green beans and stir to combine. Add the kale, spinach and the greens until they all start to wilt and return a boil. Add more water as needed to cover the vegetables by about an inch of liquid. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until all of the vegetables start to soften, about 20 minutes.  Add the remaining olive oil and the bouillon cubes and stir until they have dissolved.

Cover and continue cooking until the vegetables are completely soften, the soup thickens slightly and the flavors have melded, about an hour. Taste and season with additional bouillon cubes as needed.

 Adapted from the following source.Source:http://www.chow.com/recipes/30240-gabrielle-hamiltons