Tuscan Bean Soup

Yield: 1 ½ gallons

1 Lb Cannellini (white beans)

1 Lb Borlotti Beans (cranberry beans)

4 oz. Olive oil

4 oz. Onion, small dice

4 oz. Leeks, small dice

4 oz. Celery, small dice

4 oz. Carrots, small dice

4 cloves Garlic, minced

5-6 Qt. Stock or broth (white, veg or chicken)

1 Sachet of parsley, bay thyme, and rosemary)

1 Qt. Tomatoes, diced, canned or fresh with juice

1 Cup Wheat Berries (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Soak the beans overnight in cold water.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy sauce pot over medium. Add the vegetables and cook over low heat until almost tender.
Add the stock, the drained beans, and wheat berries and bring to a boil. Add the sachet.
Cover and simmer until the beans are tender.
Add the tomatoes to the soup and simmer another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Mash the beans lightly with a paddle or pass about one-fourth of the beans through a food mill. Add this purée back to the soup to thicken it.
If the soup is too thick, thin it out with a little stock.
Adjust the seasoning.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil and fresh ground pepper
Optional Garnish: Braised Tuscan Kale