This is my belated contribution to Alberto's proposal for a blog cooking day - sorry Alberto! I dreamt up this soup a few years ago out of sheer necessity (i.e. the cupboards were bare) and liked it so much that I've made it a few times since.
Its quite a thick soup, although easily thinned down with chicken stock to suit individual tastes), and has a lovely velvety texture created by the pureed beans and leeks which is broken up nicely by the reserved beans. As an added bonus, its quite healthy too! The soup can be made with either chicken or vegetable stock - chicken stock does give a much richer flavour and seems to create a nicer texture too.
Tuscan Bean and Garlic Soup
Olive oil (you will only need about a teaspoon)
224g (8oz) leeks sliced thinly. Use only the whites if you want a very pale and elegant soup. I used a bit of both, hence the somewhat interesting colour
3 large cloves garlic (peeled but not crushed).
1 - 1 1/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans (~400g cans) of cannellini beans, drained
2 tbsp chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Heat the pan and pour in a touch of olive oil.
Saute the leeks gently for about four minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further three or four minutes (don't let the garlic brown, or it will taste horrid).
Add the stock and half the beans. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Puree the mixture in a blender. Return to the pan, add the rest of the beans, season and simmer for 20 minutes. You may need to add extra chicken stock if the consistency is very thick. Just dilute to your own preference.
Stir in the parsley and serve.
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Mmmh..bean soup so simple but so delicious :-9.
I make something similar on special occasions, the main difference is addition is a few sauteed shrimps on top at the end, they go very well with the soup. Pre-peeled ones are OK ;-)
1. Posted by Alberto on November 19, 2007