Soup Week, Part 1

It's Soup Week at EcoMama! To be accurate, it's the end of two soup weeks in the EcoMama-Beo Household. We've been eating soup, soup, and more soup in this frigid Wisconsin Winter. This morning it was -15, with a windchill of -30. Brrrrrr. Our nice new house has ice build up on the inside of the windows. It's cold. Nothing a good pot of soup won't fix though. We're starting with a great new favorite which, like many, comes from my Moosewood Daily Special. (Well it's not technically mine-it's Mollie Katzen's. I do own a copy though. Mine.) I highly recommend this cookbook for it's soups and accompaniments. This soup is versatile and easily adaptable to whatever cuisine you'd like to pair it with. The recipe calls for fresh sage, but I subbed a good deal of whole rosemary leaves and thyme, and it was heavenly. Without further ado, Tuscan Bean Soup.


Tuscan Bean Soup

• 2 c. diced onions (about 1 large)
• 1 c. peeled and diced carrots (2-3 medium)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 T. olive oil
• 15 large fresh sage leaves (or other herbs)
• 6 c. cooked pinto, Roman, or small red or white beans*
• 3-4 c. Vegetable Stock, bean-cooking liquid, or water
• salt and pepper to taste

*Beans: 3 15 or 16 oz. cans, undrained. Or, 2 c. dried beans yields about 6 c. cooked.

In a soup pot, saute the onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil on medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Stack the sage leaves and cut them crosswise into thin strips. Stir the sage into the vegetables. Add the cooked beans and 3 c. of the stock or other liquid. Continue to cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and simmering, 5 to 10 minutes.

Carefully ladle about 3 c. of the soup into a blender and puree into smooth. Stir the puree back into the soup. (Using an immersion blender sparingly also works.) If you wish, add more liquid for a less thick consistency. Add S&P to taste. If necessary, gently reheat the soup. Serve hot.

This is a great soup for chilly nights. It's very filling and the thyme and rosemary made the house smell warm. Beo loved this soup. He said it tasted "meaty". Coming from him, this is quite a compliment. Stay tuned for more great soups for these cold Winter days.