Recipe - Bean Soup From Tuscany

2 cup Dried cannellini beans
2 Red onions
10 Sprigs fresh parsley leaves
1 Large celery stalk
2 Cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon Fresh basil
1 teaspoon Fresh rosemary leaves
Coarse grained salt
3 Fresh tomatoes OR 3 drained
canned imported Italian
tomatoes
1 ounce Boiled ham
1 ounce Salt pork
One fourth cup Plus 8 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground
pepper
One half teaspoon Dried thyme OR 1/2
ts tarragon
1 small Savoy cabbage, 2 lbs
8 Slices coarse Italian bread

Soak tghe beans overnight in cold water; rinse
and drain.
Coarsely chop one onion, parsley, celery, garlic,
basil and
rosemary. Place in stockpot. Add beans,
coarsegrain salt to
taste and 5 quarts of cold water. Cover and bring
to a boil
over medium heat, then simmer for about 1 One half hours.
Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining onion, chop
up the
tomatoes in a food processor and cut the ham and
salt pork into
small pieces.
Heat One fourth cup of the oil and lightly saute the onion,
ham and
salt pork for about 10 minutes, then add the
tomatoes. Taste
for salt and pepper and add the thyme or tarragon.
Simmer for
about 10 minutes, then set aside.
Clean and wash the cabbage. Cut into 1/2inch
strips. When
the beans have finished cooking, remove about half
the beans
and vegetables with a slotted spoon and puree in a
food
processor. Return the puree to the stockpot and add
enough cold
water to make about 4 quarts liquid and bring to a
boil. Add
cabbage and simmer about 25 minutes, then add
tomatoes and meat
to the stockpot and simmer 5 minutes longer.
Toast the slices of bread and place in each
individual soup
bowl. Ladle the soup over the bread and serve,
adding a
teaspoon of olive oil to each serving.
NOTE: Dried herbs may be substituted for fresh
using 1/3 to
One half teaspoon dried for each tablespoon fresh, or to taste.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini