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Serves 12
This famous soup is a fixture on every Tuscan trattoria menu. Although it's traditionally made a day or more before serving and then reheated, it may also be eaten fresh.
1 lb. dried cannellini beans
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. fruity extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4-5 fresh sage leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 ribs celery, trimmed and thickly sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
1 large bunch swiss chard, trimmed
and coarsely chopped
1 bunch cavolo nero or kale, trimmed
and coarsely chopped
1/2 small savoy cabbage, cored
and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped canned Italian plum tomatoes
3 thick slices day-old country white bread
1. Cover beans with cold water and soak in a large pot for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain, then add 12 cups water, 2 tbsp. Of the oil, garlic, and sage. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season to taste with salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until beans are tender, 1-2 hours more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Remove beans from heat, set aside, and allow beans to cool in cooking liquid. Reserve 1 cup cooked beans, then purée remaining beans along with the cooking liquid and set aside.
3. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in the same casserole over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, chard, cavolo nero, and cabbage, stirring well. Add tomatoes, cover, and cook until greens wilt, about 20 minutes.
4. Add puréed beans and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour. Add bread and reserved beans, stir gently, cover, return to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then refrigerate overnight.
5. The next day, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat soup in a casserole in the oven, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes, then cook for 30 minutes more without stirring. Drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup oil and serve.
Cooking Beans
Cooking beans correctly is a matter taken very seriously in Tuscany. Marco Noferi, a farmer in Paterna, not far from Arezzo, explained to writer Lori Zimring de Mori the three cardinal components for preparing dried beans so that they end up tender but firm, with a dense, rich flavor:
from:
Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian
Savoring the Recipes and Traditions of the World's Favorite Cuisine
By the editors of Saveur Magazine
Chronicle Books, 2001
9-5/8 x 10 in; 320 pp
$40.00 Hardcover
ISBN 0811832678
Recipe reprinted by permission.
Recipes
This page created May 2002

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