Tuscan Bean Soup With Fresh Rosemary

The following dish is based on a recipe appearing in "Delia's Vegetarian Collection", a cookbook compiled by Delia Smith featuring over 250 mouthwatering recipes. The photographs are orgasmic, and each recipe could easily be featured in the finest gourmet restaurant. If you have a creative flare for cooking and like to experiment with a variety of foods, this is the cookbook for you. Cheese lovers in particular will treasure this book throughout their cooking career. Though many of the recipes require a time commitment in the kitchen, especially if you are feeling ambitious and looking to cook up a three or four course meal, the directions are very easy to follow and well worth the effort. This selection is one of the easier dishes to prepare and a favorite in my kitchen.

Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup with Rosemary

1 cup of dried romano or pinto beans
1/2 cup of spiral shaped or small tubes pasta
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste
grated parmesan, for garnishing individual servings
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Soak the beans overnight in 8 cups of cold water.

2. Drain the beans, reserving the soaking liquid.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Next, add the tomato paste and rosemary, stir for a minute, then add the beans, together with 6 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and some salt (about 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons). Simmer gently, partially covered, for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.

4. Add black pepper to taste, then pour half of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Alternately, you can use a convenient electric hand blender to blend a portion of the soup within the pot.