Tuscan White Bean Soup With Prosciutto Food

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP WITH PROSCIUTTO AND GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

Steps:

• Combine the beans and their liquid with the garlic, salt, thyme, basil, and 2 cups of water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes to meld the flavors. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the beans, returning any garlic or basil to the saucepan. Use an immersion blender to purée the remaining beans in the pot until smooth.
• (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly then transfer it to a blender or food processor and purée, holding the lid down tight so the hot liquid doesn't splatter out.) Stir in the reserved beans and cabbage and thin the soup with water if necessary. Cook the soup over medium heat until the cabbage wilts and is slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
• Divide the soup evenly among four large soup plates or bowls, filling them to just below the rim. Drizzle each serving with high-quality olive oil and grate a thin layer of Parmesan cheese over them. Tear one slice of the prosciutto into a few pieces and rumple the pieces onto one bowl of soup; repeat with the remaining prosciutto slices.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the prosciutto, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sauté for 2 minutes or until soft.
• Add the water, beans, bay leaves, and broth and bring soup to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the parsley, sherry, and black pepper; cook for one minute. Discard bay leaves.

"SUPER-TUSCAN" WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse the beans, place in a saucepan, and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for about 20 minutes, then drain.
• Return the beans to the saucepan along with the prosciutto, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bay leaf. Pour in the chicken stock and then add water as needed to cover the beans by 2 inches. Slowly bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. (If you heat them too fast, the skins may break.) Adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beans are almost tender, 20 minutes or longer, depending on the age of the beans. Add salt, to taste, and continue cooking until the beans are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let the beans cool in the liquid.
• Meanwhile, make the bruschetta: Preheat a stove-top grill pan. Place the bread slices in a single layer on the grill pan and toast until each side is crisp and has grill marks, about 6 minutes. (You can also toast the bread in a 500 degrees F oven on a baking sheet.) Remove from the pan and lightly brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil, then season lightly with salt. Let cool.
• Strain the cooled beans and other solids through a sieve, reserving the liquid. In a food processor, puree the beans and solids in batches with 3 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, push the solids through a fine mesh sieve into a clean large saucepan (you should have about 6 cups of soup in the saucepan). Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet over high heat, warm the 1/4 cup olive oil. Turn on the fan above your stove. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn brown. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for a few seconds, then add the basil. Cook until basil wilts.
• To serve, ladle the hot soup into warmed bowls. Top the soup with the basil mixture. Serve bruschetta with each bowl, adding Parmesan, if desired.

HEARTY TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and thyme and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and bay leaf.
• Drain the beans and roughly mash 1/2 a can of beans. Add the beans and mashed beans to the pot.
• Squeeze the water from the thawed spinach and add to the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper and simmer for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
• Add the macaroni and cook until tender according to package directions. (About 10 minutes.).
• Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan and/or pecorino romano.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN & SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• In a large sauce pan, sautee the shallots & garlic in the olive oil.
• Add broth, tomatoes, beans and rosemary to pot. Season with black and red pepper. Bring to boil.
• Add pasta and cook 12 minutes. If the soup seems too thick for your liking add a bit more broth.
• Add spinach and cook until wilted.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a 4 quart saucepan, over medium high heat, cook olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and potato until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add chicken broth, pepper and water; increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Increase heat to high; stir in beans with their liquid and pasta and heat to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is done, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in escarole until heated through.