Monday, November 23, 2009

WHITE BEAN AND ROSEMARY SOUP - Barefoot Contessa



It is very hard to take a decent picture of white bean soup. White beans, garlic, onions, go figure.

This is a mild tasting soup that is quick to make and keeps well in the fridge. I doubled the spices (garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary--although I'm never quite sure what exactly a bay leaf contributes?). I also cut back on the oil which makes for a healthier soup.

It still needs something more--I'm thinking a little bit of ham, prosciutto, or bacon sauteed with the onions would deepen the flavor. What do you think?

And since I don't love pureed soups, I quickly dipped my immersion blender in and pureed about 1/3 just to make it thicker.

Ingredients
  • 1 pound dried white cannellini beans
  • 4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

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