I waffled on whether or not to share this soup with you- not because it isn’t good (it’s really, really good, btw) but because I wondered if it was different enough from the other bean-vegetable-probably some tomato thrown in there- soups I’d shared in the past, like this one or this one. But upon further reflection, and further soup eating, I decided that this one is really a bean soup, rather than a vegetable soup like the others, and I also wanted to share with you a little soup epiphany I had while eating this.
Now that I’ve officially completed my soup focus group for one (hurrah, soft solids!), I’ve got a good sense of what makes a great soup. And while there are some exceptions, I’ve found that soups I like the most tend to have an acidic component, unlike, say, a chicken noodle soup. I’m not talking about tomatoes (very acidic), I’m in particular thinking about vinegar and wine. The issue I have always had with soup is its same-ness (made all the worse when you can only eat it pureed), and a dash of acid brings a bit of zing that really helps to counteract that.
This simple (and simply delicious) bean soup has a secret acidic ingredient stirred in at the end- a tablespoon of Sherry vinegar. It seems pretty un-revelatory but combined with the red chili flakes (careful with those), it really brightens up an otherwise tasty but ho-hum soup. After I made and loved this soup, I made two others (coming soon to a blog near you)- both pureed, one broccoli and one cauliflower, and containing red wine vinegar and white wine, respectively- what a game changer!
After 28 days of soup, I swore it would be a very long time before I found myself choosing to slurp down a liquid dinner in lieu of chewing it, but this discovery may change things. Not now, but maybe in time for…gazpacho season.
You can make beans 3 days ahead, and the soup (without chard) can be made 4 days in advance, covered and chilled.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cannellini or other small white beans, soaked overnight
- 1 onion, quartered through root end
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- ½ teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, cored, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves torn into pieces
- Chopped unsalted, roasted almonds (for serving)
Instructions
- To make the beans, combine beans, onion, garlic, and bay leaves in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 2". Bring to a simmer over medium heat, add several pinches of salt, and reduce heat to low. Continue to cook at a bare simmer until beans are creamy but still hold their shape, 35–45 minutes. Let beans cool in cooking liquid; discard bay leaves.
- To make the soup, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add tomatoes, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and cook tomatoes, undisturbed, until caramelized and borderline blackened on one side, about 5 minutes. Break up tomatoes, scraping bottom of pot, and continue to cook, scraping and stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are caramelized all over, about 5 minutes more. Transfer tomatoes to a plate.
- Heat another 2 Tbsp. oil in same pot over medium. Add onion, fennel, garlic, and a pinch or so of red pepper flakes, if desired; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft and starting to brown around edges, 8–10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and tomatoes, scraping up browned bits. Drain beans and add to pot along with broth (for a thicker soup, use half of the broth plus 2 cups bean-cooking liquid). Bring to a simmer; season with salt. Cook until flavors meld, 30–45 minutes.
- Just before serving, stir in chard and cook until wilted. Ladle soup into bowls, top with almonds, and drizzle with oil.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2018/02/06/tomato-white-bean-soup/
