White Bean Bisque Food

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN AND GARLIC SOUP

Steps:

• Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.
• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes a side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.

WHITE BEAN PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet (preferably straight-sided) over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt, and stir, then cook undisturbed in an even layer until one side is golden, about 4 minutes. (It's great if the butter browns, but decrease the heat if it threatens to get too dark.) Stir in the asparagus, carrot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the peas, scallions and ½ teaspoon salt, then add the red-pepper flakes, oregano and a generous amount of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the peas are warmed through and bright green, about 2 minutes.
• Add the white beans and the cream, lower the heat to medium, and let the cream come to a simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, Parmesan and Dijon. Taste and season with more salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of warm water to the creamy beans to loosen as you like; the sauce will thicken as it cools. (You may need more water when you reheat any leftovers.) Serve in bowls topped with the nuts and a handful of basil leaves. Pass more Parmesan at the table.

WHITE BEAN SAUSAGE SOUP

Steps:

• Spoon cheese into 6 mounds 3 in. apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread into 1-1/2-in. circles. Sprinkle with a dash of cayenne. Bake at 400° for 5-6 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool. , In a large saucepan, cook sausage and onion in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles; drain. Remove and keep warm. , In the same pan, saute garlic for 1 minute or until tender. Stir in the beans, broth, cream, sherry if desired, parsley, salt, thyme and a dash of cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes or until heated through. Cool slightly., Transfer to a blender; cover and process on high until almost blended. Pour into soup bowls; sprinkle with sausage mixture and Parmesan crisps.

WHITE BEAN BISQUE WITH RED PEPPER SWIRL

Steps:

• heat oil in a large stock pot.
• saute onions and celery until browned about 10 minutes.
• add garlic and cook 5 minutes more.
• add the stock, beans, vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper.
• bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
• meanwhile, make red pepper puree by combining roasted red peppers and garlic in a blender and pureeing (rinse out the blender when your done).
• blend soup in batches until very smooth, about the consistency of heavy cream.
• Make sure you hold the lid on the blender with a towel, the lid will blow off and it will burn you if you don't!
• to serve, ladle the soup into bowls. spoon a large dollop of red pepper puree into the center and use a knife to make a pretty swirl.