Escarole and Beans (The Easy Way)

I grew up in a household full of great women cooks. My mother, my grandmother, my aunt, two cousins and my sister. Not to mention my two aunts who lived on the lower floors in our building. This soup was one of my grandmother's specialties. I don't remember my mother ever making it but it was one of my father's favorites. With all those women there, I was seldom allowed in the cooking part of the kitchen except to help with the prep. I didn't start to learn to cook till I was in my 20s. But I learned from years of watching and grating cheese or bread crumbs and helping to flour and drag the cavatelli and whatnot. I loved my home life and I loved the smell of that kitchen.

Ingredients
2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 – 4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Head escarole, approximately 1 Lb., washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 14 oz. cans cannellini, drained and rinsed
1 C Chicken Stock
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan

Cook

Heat a pot over medium-high heat
Cover the bottom of a soup pot with olive oil
Add garlic and sauté till lightly browned.
Add the escarole and stir to coat with the oil.
Toss in red pepper flakes and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the escarole begins to wilt.
Stir in the beans. Lower the heat, add up to a cup of chicken Stock (more if you prefer it soupier)
Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for five to ten minutes.

Serve with a crusty Italian Bread