White Bean and Rosemary Soup

This soup is thick and rich in flavor. The white beans have a sweetness to them that is complemented by the rosemary. It is one of my favorites! You can find dried white cannellini beans at Italian specialty shops. In Los Angeles could can find them at Vicente Foods and Sorrentos in Culver City.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dried white cannellini beans
• 4 cups of sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/4 cup of good olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
• 2 quarts of chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes.
4. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the beans are very soft.
5. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf.
6. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed.
7. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.