Tuscan Bean And Bread Soup
Instructions
SOAK the beans in plenty of water for 8 hours or over night. Drain and rinse.
IN A large casserole or cast iron or cast aluminum pot, with a cover and a thick bottom (one variation calls for putting the soup in the oven for hour, so consider this when choosing your cooking vessel), heat the olive on a bit more than medium heat - you want to sautee the ingredients slowly until the onion is transparent or lightly golden NOT browned - add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, leek, optional garlic and chili pepper, stirring often until the onion has turned color (about ten minutes, depending on the heat)
ADD the tomatoes, cabbage and the beans, more olive oil if you wish, and stir well to mix the ingredients.
ADD the optional rosemary/oregano, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper to taste and mix again.
ADD enough water to cover the ingredients by about
1/4 inch.
BRING to a very slow simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beans start to soften.
ADD water as necessary to keep the ingredients just covered. (for a 'soupier' soup, keep the water level a bit higher).
ADD the optional diced potatoes/zucchini (you can also do this on the following day if there is soup left over, to give it a new taste) - cook for another hour, until potatoes are cooked. Longer cooking softens the ingredients and blends them
more.
THE soup can stand for a few hours in a cool kitchen and be re-heated for the meal. The longer it lingers, the better it gets, and some recipes call for refrigerating the soup, covered, over night and serving it re-heated the next day.
