White Bean Soup with Garlic Rosemary Bread

For cold rainy days like today there is nothing better than to curl up on the couch under a warm toasty blanket and eat a bowl of homemade soup. I made this soup last week on a cold and windy day for my husband who was up in D.C escorting a group of veterans on a tour of the monuments. So when he came home I had this duo waiting to be plated. I love making my own bread, I can add all sorts of ingredients and it ends up costing me a fraction of the price to make it than it would be for me to buy a specialty bread at a store. The soup has a lot of bean flavor so if you are not a fan of beans I would not recommend the soup. If you love beans then you will love this soup.

As for the bread, a trick I always use is I run my mixing bowl under hot water to warm it up. The key to yeast is the warm water. So warming up the bowl has proven to be my little trick. Also during the kneading process I turn my oven on to the lowest setting and let it warm up. That way when it is time to let the dough rise it has a nice warm spot to rest.




Garlic Rosemary Bread

• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 packet of yeast, about 2 1/4 tsp
• 5 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 tsp. butter/margarine, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 c. bread flour

1. Mix yeast, 1/4 c. warm water and sugar in large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, the yeast will bubble up.
2. Add butter, 1/2 c. water, rosemary, garlic and salt to the yeast mixture and stir.
3. Add flour one cup at a time and mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a ball
4. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes.
5. Shape into a ball, lightly rub with olive oil so that the dough does not dry out. Place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and put into the oven or a warm draft free spot to allow it to rise for one hour.
6. Bake dough for 30 minutes at 400° F.
7. Let dough cool down before slicing.

Soup

• 3/4 c. dried cannellini beans
• 6 c. vegetable stock
• 1/2 c. soup pasta
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt
• pepper

1. Soak beans according to package.
2. Drain soaked beans and place them in a large pot. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat and let simmer for 2 hours or until tender.
3. Transfer about half the beans and a little bit of the stock to a blender and process to a smooth puree. Return the puree to the pot and stir to mix well. Return the soup to a boil.
4. Add the pasta to the soup, return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender.
5. Meanwhile, heat 4 Tbsp olive oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until the garlic is golden brown. Stir the garlic into the soup and add parsley. Season with salt and pepper and ladle into warmed soup bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve immediately.

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My Meatless Mondays