Tuscan Bean Soup
Haha, I keep throwing out these titles like they are accurate! Again to me this constitutes Tuscan and that is that! If you don’t add enough stock here it comes out like pea soup and that is not necessarily the texture you want here although that would be good as well. This soup is thinner than pea soup but thicker than say chicken soup or a soup that is broth or stock based.
Serves 4
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 sprig rosemary; leaves removed and diced finely
2 540 ml cans of white kidney beans rinsed well
3 cups stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable. I wouldn’t use fish here)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
– In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (it will ripple) add the onion; season with salt and pepper. Sauté the onions for 5 to 7 minutes, until they are soft and translucent. If the onions are getting too dark too quickly, drop the heat to medium.
– Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, careful not to burn it.
– Add the beans and rosemary, season with salt and pepper and mix the ingredients well.
– Add the stock and scrape the bottom of the pot to release and flavour trapped there. Throw in the stem of the rosemary, it has tons of flavour.
– Raise the heat and bring to a boil.
– When the soup has some to a boil, drop the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
– After 20 minutes turn off the heat and remove the rosemary stem (careful not to burn yourself). In a blender or with a hand blender/immersion blender break down the beans leaving the soup chunky and not too smooth like pea soup.
– Taste and adjust seasoning.
– Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
- It would be really good to put a drop of good quality extra virgin olive oil on top of the soup as garnish.
- If you happen to have a piece of the rind from your parmesan cheese on hand, add it to the pot when you add the stock. You would be amazed at the incredible amount of flavour this adds to the soup.