[CH] Tuscan White Bean Soup
Tara Deen (tara@es.usyd.edu.au)
Mon, 03 Jul 2000 11:51:19 +1000
OK Doug, you asked for it...
I used Jim Campbell's recipe as the base for my bread by the way,
embroidering around the "dump it all in the bread maker" instructions.
Love making bread on rainy days, but there are never enough rainy days.
Should make bigger quantities as Marie does, so it lasts longer. My
fresh olive bread never lasts long enough, either.
Tuscan White Bean Soup
(my version of a recipe posted on the web by a guy called Skip, who does
great Italian)
1 lb dried cannelini beans (or Great northern or navy beans)
6 cups water
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 ribs celery
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 litres water, extra
2 cups real stock (your choice, I use vegetable, but chicken is also
good)
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves only
1 heel parmigiano-reggiano
2 finely minced habaneros
salt and ground black pepper
Wash beans, bring beans and water to boil, boil ten minutes, turn heat
off and let them sit for an hour. Drain and reserve.
Put the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, and parsley in a blender and
blend until smooth. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive
oil and pureed vegetables. Fry, stirring frequently until the mixture
becomes soft and turns golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the beans and cheese heel to the pot and pour in the 2 litres water.
Bring to a boil, add stock if required, and skim off any scum that rises
tot he surface. Add the rosemary and allow the beans to simmer, partly
covered, for one hour. Check from time to time and add more water if
necessary.
At the end of the hour, taste the beans. Continue cooking if necessary,
until beans are al dente. This could be as much as another half-hour.
Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and chiles.
The Tuscans often add up to 8 cups of bitter greens such as chicory or
spinach to the soup at this point, stirring until they wilt. I usually
do too, but I had none last weekend, due to over-enthusiasm on the part
of the next door neighbour's rabbit.
Garnish this with olive oil and minced parley. It goes so well with
habanero bread! Or Olive bread, or.... <drool> ;-)
This freezes really well. There aren't many chiles in this, but I just
wanted a bit of a complement to the bread in flavour. The soup has a
delicate flavour and you don't want to overpower that.
Tara
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______________________________________________________
Tara Deen
School of Earth Sciences
Division of Geology and Geophysics
Building FO5
University of Sydney NSW 2006
Phone: 61-2-9351 4271
Fax: 61-2-9351 0184
email: tara@es.usyd.edu.au
______________________________________________________