Live a little

  This is one of our fav. posts.  Cold day.   Time to revisit it.

Right now it is 33 degrees and drizzling snow flakes with a promise of a cold wind  this afternoon.  We were trying to think of something Tuscan to take the chill off.

Earlier morning we stopped at the market and ran into a friend who was all loaded up with chicken broth and cannellini beans (in cans no less) and and we asked if he was making soup and he replied yes, white bean  soup, all creamy and rich, and we could see, in our mind's eye,  the steam rising from the pot as we spoke. Perfect.  Our grandmother used to make this and we can still see the kitchen stove in the late afternoon light, red enamel pot, gentle steam, that ancient wooden stirring spoon and a wondrous smell of garlic and oil, crusty bread crunching, real butter - my oh my.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 sage leaf
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices ciabatta bread
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes a side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside. (Recipe courtesy of our good friends at Food Network)