Superfoods Tuscan Bean Soup

CHEF JOHN'S TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add butter; allow butter to melt. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook and stir until onion begins to turn translucent and golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 more minute. Add beans and broth. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Set heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Place bread cubes in a saute pan. Drizzle with olive oil; season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toast bread cubes over medium heat until golden brown and crunchy, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle grated cheese over the bread cubes and continue to brown cubes about 2 more minutes.
• Puree soup with an immersion blender until it is very smooth. Whisk in creme fraiche. Stir in lemon juice. Serve topped with browned bread cubes and chopped parsley.

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the capicola, red onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, 2 cups water, the parmesan rind, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind.
• Meanwhile, lightly toast the bread; rub both sides with the whole garlic clove and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Stir the escarole into the soup and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Top each serving of soup with a piece of toast. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

EASY TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Simmer the soup: Add the remaining beans to the pot and stir well. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover with the lid placed askew, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the liquid is flavorful. Discard the oregano sprigs; the leaves will have fallen into the soup. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
• While the soup simmers, make the Parmesan toasts: Toast the bread until lightly golden on both sides. While the toast is still hot from the toaster, sprinkle with olive oil and cheese. If you have a toaster oven, return them to the toaster for 1 minute to melt the cheese; otherwise, arrange the toasts in a skillet over medium heat, cover, and warm for about 1 minute or until the cheese has melted.
• Add the greens to the soup: Add the kale or spinach to the pot and simmering for another 2 minutes, or just until the greens wilt.
• Serve the soup: Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with oregano and more olive oil, if you like. Serve with Parmesan toasts and extra Parmesan for sprinkling.

MOM'S CABBAGE SOUP

Steps:

• For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent (not browned), about 8 minutes. Add salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to your desired preference. Then stir in the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes and vegetable stock and bring the entire mixture to a boil.
• Once boiling, stir in the cabbage and beans and keep it simmering, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Add more stock or water if you prefer more liquid and taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. When finished, sprinkle over and stir in the parsley for color and flavor.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with crostini or garlic bread, if desired.
• For the crostini: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with olive oil. You can also smear minced garlic over the top, if desired.
• Bake until crunchy and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Take the crostini out of the oven, drizzle the tops with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over the top.

SUPERFOODS TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Placed washed, dried beans in a stockpot with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat; cover; allow them to soak for 1 hours.
• Drain beans thoroughly. Return them to the stockpot. Cover with 3 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until beans are done. Skim off any foam that develops.
• During last 10 minutes of cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, stirring constantly. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are nicely browned. Add entire contents of skillet to stockpot and remove from heat.
• With immersion blender, puree the soup. Adjust thickness with water if necessary. Stir in sage. Cover and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• Note: if you have a blender rather than an immersion blender, allow the soup to cool slightly. Puree it in batches in the regular blender. Return soup to stockpot and gently reheat.
• Note Two: You can use a 15.5 oz can of drained and rinsed beans instead of the dried ones. Just begin recipe at Step 3.
• Note Three: You can use fresh sage if you want to instead of dried. Use 1/2 T. fresh, snipped sage.