Ingredients :
* 12 baby artichokes
* 6 cups chicken broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 cup small boiling onions, peeled and halved, or pearl onions
* 4 ounces pancetta or 5 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and cut into small pieces
* 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups cooked* or canned fava or lima beans, rinsed and drained
* 12 ounces fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
* 1/4 cup snipped fennel leaves
Directions :
1. Remove tough outer green leaves from artichokes. The inside leaves will be more tender and greenish-yellow. Snip off about 1 inch from the leaf tops, cutting where the green meets the yellow. Trim the stems. Quarter the artichokes lengthwise; set aside.
2. Combine broth, onions, pancetta or bacon, fennel seed, and pepper in a 4-quart Dutch oven; bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add artichokes and beans; cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and fennel; cook for 5 minutes more or till vegetables are tender.
3. To serve, ladle into soup bowls. Top with snipped fennel leaves. Makes 8 side-dish servings or 4 main-dish servings.
4. *Note: To cook fresh or frozen fava or lima beans, simmer, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 15 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. When cool, remove skins from fava beans. For 2 cups of cooked fava beans, purchase 2 pounds of fava beans in the pod.
