When I found out that my good friend Elena would be going to NYC for three months, I immediately told her to block a day for lunch. With the chilly weather in Rome descending upon us, it was soup time, rosemary white bean soup to be precise. I was inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe in the barefoot contessa cookbook. Here’s my version:
Ingredients
- 500 gr dried white cannellini beans
- 2 large sliced yellow onions
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Dried rosemary to taste
- Approximately 2 litres vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Soak the beans overnight. Drain. In a large pot over low heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until they become translucent; approximately 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beans, rosemary, vegetable stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and let simmer until beans are soft; approximately 50 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Place half of the soup in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely puréed. Return soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with a hunk of pane lariano (Roman bread made from whole wheat flour) and the company of friends; hearty, warm and filling and even better the next day!
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