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Florentine White Bean Soup
Excerpted from Food Made Fast: Soup by Georgeanne Brennan (Oxmoor House, 2006).
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, minced
1. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. When it is hot, add the pancetta and sauté until it browns slightly, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, add the onion and carrots, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, mixing well. Add the broth and the beans. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted and the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.
LYNNE'S TIPS
A home trick in Italy is to simmer the rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in soups like this one. When you are ready to serve the soup, pull out the rind, rinse it and dry it and save it for the next soup. Parmigiano is loaded with umami, which sparks other flavors, heightening and uniting them as little else can.
Cannellini beans are white Italian kidney beans. They are available canned or dry. Two reliable canned brands are Goya and Progresso.
Tomato paste packaged in tubes (like toothpaste) is handy for recipes like this one that call for a small amount. No need to open a whole can for a tablespoon then wonder what to do with the rest. Look for it in most supermarkets.
Serves 4
posted at splendidtable.publicradio.org
Florentine White Bean Soup
Excerpted from Food Made Fast: Soup by Georgeanne Brennan (Oxmoor House, 2006).
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, minced
1. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. When it is hot, add the pancetta and sauté until it browns slightly, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, add the onion and carrots, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, mixing well. Add the broth and the beans. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted and the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.
LYNNE'S TIPS
A home trick in Italy is to simmer the rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in soups like this one. When you are ready to serve the soup, pull out the rind, rinse it and dry it and save it for the next soup. Parmigiano is loaded with umami, which sparks other flavors, heightening and uniting them as little else can.
Cannellini beans are white Italian kidney beans. They are available canned or dry. Two reliable canned brands are Goya and Progresso.
Tomato paste packaged in tubes (like toothpaste) is handy for recipes like this one that call for a small amount. No need to open a whole can for a tablespoon then wonder what to do with the rest. Look for it in most supermarkets.
Serves 4
posted at splendidtable.publicradio.org