When I was in Italy a few weeks ago I had a marvelous dish that was nothing more than a simple white bean stew in a creamy white sauce. And as I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, it was memorably tasty.
Of course, a lot of Italian dishes are very simple, and ingredient driven. And we’re pretty certain like I had a pleasant encounter with the famous cannellini beans. These are sort of like our Navy beans, or white kidney beans if you prefer. The entire dish seemed to be a very basic approach.
As Jerry points out you can use dried cannellini beans, which you would soak over night, or go with the canned beans which is a little more convenient. Either way, we would recommend a slow and low cook, using either plain water or broth. Also, a bit of minced garlic or onion wouldn’t be out of place. To get the texture right, the trick is this: when the beans have cooked to tenderness, remove about a third of them and put them in a food processor. Give them a good blitz and process until you have a creamy purée. Pour the purée back into the pot and simmer some more. You can add a little cream or butter before serving, and of course season with salt and white pepper. We guarantee the flavor of the beans will really stand out.
This got us thinking about some other bean soups, which I think are super nutritious and easy to fix. Both of us like to do things with beans and a ham hock, and whatever other vegetables come to hand. Again, you can use water, but we think broth will give you more flavor. Chicken or vegetable broths are easy to find, and you can even find ham flavored broth. Whatever vegetables you choose, be sure to cut them to the same size so they will all cook the same. Try seasonings like mustard powder, bay leaves, cumin, tomato paste or an Italian spice blend.
Working with ham hocks isn’t hard. First, you’ll need to deeply score the tough outer skin. Do this multiple times round the hock. When they cook, the skin will eventually just peel off. Of course, the ham hock will take a couple hours to cook to yield up its succulent meat, so you’ll need to take your time.
Another option is to use chickpeas in your soup. As it happens, chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, have a natural affinity for lemons, so you’ll see a lot of recipes featuring them. There’s a Greek soup called “Avgolemono” (ahvo-lemono) that relies on lemon, eggs and orzo for its character. They start by sautéing the aromatics, carrots, celery and onions. Then you introduce your broth of choice, the chickpeas and the orzo. You must work the eggs into it carefully, because it you just dump whisked eggs into a hot broth you’ll get scrambled eggs. Not good. We have a technique called “tempering” the eggs which sidesteps that problem. Whisk up your eggs and keep whisking while you very slowly pour some warm broth into them. Keep whisking and eventually everything will come up to temperature. Then you add it to the soup.
And to improve the soup, toss in some cut up kale or spinach for a dash of color. Then you can finish it with lemon juice and float a few thin slices of lemon on top.
Now we’ve seen a product called 15 Bean Soup, (or whatever number they want) which is exactly what it sounds like. The deal is that you can buy a bag of mixed beans that cover the waterfront in terms of size, shape, color and flavor. You simply cook them up with any of the additional ingredients you have on hand, and you’ve got a good soup with incredible variety.
When we make it at home we love to toss in some cut up smoky sausage. It’s a very adventurous soup to eat, because no two bites will be the same. And that’s a lot of fun.
Al’s Tuscan White Bean Stew
Ingredients
3 15.5 oz. cans of cannellini beans, with liquid
low sodium chicken broth (enough to cover the beans)
1 tbs minced garlic
8 leaves fresh sage
¼ cup half and half
4 pats butter
salt and white pepper to taste
Directions
1. Pour the beans into a large saucepan, along with their liquid. Add minced garlic and enough chicken broth to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat.
2. Simmer for at least one hour.
3. When beans are tender, remove about one third of them with a slotted spoon and put into a food processor. Process the beans until you have a smooth purée. Pour the beans back into the pot, add the sage leaves and simmer, uncovered for another hour. Stir occasionally, and top off the broth if necessary.
4. Take the pot off the heat, and add the cream and butter, and stir to blend it in. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
