Recipe - La Ribollita Tuscan Bean Soup Au Gratin

2 tablespoon Olive oil; plus Three fourths cup
olive oil
2 tablespoon Chopped garlic
2 cup Minced onions
1 Carrot; finely chopped
1 Celery stalk; finely chopped
1 cup Finely chopped leeks; white
part only
1 Hot chili pepper; stemmed
and minced
2 md Ham hocks; about 3 to 4
ounces each
1 pound White beans; soaked
overnight and drained
2 tablespoon Finely chopped rosemary
3 Sprigs of fresh thyme
2 Bay leaves
10 cup Chicken stock
2 Garlic cloves; crushed
1 teaspoon Chopped thyme
8 sl Italian bread; toasted
1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1 small Onion; thinly cut or sliced up

GARNISH
Chopped fresh parsley

EMERIL LIVE SHOW #EMIA37

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a gallon stock pot, heat 2
tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onions,
carrots, celery, leeks and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper. Add the ham hocks and saute for 1 minute. Add the beans,
rosemary, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in the chicken stock and bring
up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours or until the
beans are tender. Remove the ham hocks, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Using
a hand heldblender, puree half of the bean mixture. Pick the meat from the
ham hock and return the meat to the bean mixture. Season the beans with
salt and pepper. In a saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the
crushed garlic cloves and chopped thyme and simmer for 1 minute to infuse
the oil. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the garlic cloves. Stir
half of the olive oil mixture into the bean mixture. Line a fireproof
tureen with the toasted bread slices. Sprinkle the bread with half of the
cheese. Ladle the bean mixture over the toasted bread. Cover the bean
mixture with the onion slices, the remaining infused olive oil and cheese.
Place the tureen in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven
and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Yield: about 8 servings

Posted to recipeludigest by molony molony@scsn.net on Feb 21, 1998