Giant White Bean Soup
This is a classic treatment on cooking a pot of beans, Italian-style. A few simple aromatics perfume the broth and legumes, making them extra flavorful for a variety of uses.
For a bouquet garni, knot 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs thyme, 2 sage leaves, 4 sprigs parsley and 1 dried red chile in cheesecloth.
From the story: The bean and me
Place the beans in a bowl and cover by 3 inches with cold water. Soak 12 to 14 hours. Drain. Place the beans in a heavy-bottomed pot and cover by 2 inches with water. Add the bouquet garni and garlic, and bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Toward the end of cooking, finely chop the onion, carrot and leek. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until the onions turn golden, 5 minutes.
Remove the bouquet garni, add the onion, carrot and leek. Simmer until the beans are very tender, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Drain off 3/4 (about 2 cups) of the liquid and reduce in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a medium-thick consistency, 5 minutes. Return the liquid to the beans, toss and add the parsley sauce. Toss and serve immediately.
Parsley Sauce
Combine the parsley, butter and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 15 seconds.
Get our Cooking newsletter.
Your roundup of inspiring recipes and kitchen tricks.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
