White Beans With Bacon And Endive Recipes

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon: Place a large stock pot over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving bacon drippings in pan. Set aside.
• Remove bacon - leave fat: You want about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in the pot, if you do not have enough fat, add extra virgin olive oil to pan until you have about 1 tablespoon of liquid (just eyeball this).
• Saute vegetables: Increase heat to medium high. Add shallots, carrot, and celery to pot. Cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; cook until aromatic, 30 seconds - 1 minute.
• Deglaze the pan: Add white wine to deglaze pan, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoon, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add liquid, beans + herbs: Add the chicken stock, beans with their liquid, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf and parmesan rind (if using).
• Boil, then simmer: Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes.
• Add bacon, cream, parsley + parmesan: Use tongs to remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. (I leave in the parmesan rind, but you can remove and discard it.) Add in the bacon, 1/4 cup of cream, chopped parsley leaves and grated parmesan. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Taste the soup, add more cream for a richer taste and texture.
• Optional To Thicken Soup: (You can serve the soup as is for a brothy consistency, or you can thicken the soup with one of the two methods below.) For an ultra creamy, bisque-like texture, puree the entire soup. 1. Use an Immersion blender to blend some of the soup until desired consistency is reached. Or, use a potato masher to mash some of the beans. Blend about 1-2 cups of the soup for a slightly creamy yet rustic texture.2. Stand Mixer: Remove 1-2 cups of the soup to a stand mixer. Puree the soup and then add the mixture back to the pot. , add back in removed beans.
• To serve: Ladle soup into serving bowls. Garnish with more grated parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Drizzle with a bit of good-quality extra virgin olive oil for a flavorful finish. Serve and enjoy!

WHITE BEAN AND ENDIVE SOUP

Steps:

• Wash the endives and trim off the cores. Chop them and put them in a heavy saucepan with the lemon juice. Cover and cook over very low heat until the endives are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
• Add the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Puree the soup in a blender or a food processor, then return it to the saucepan.
• Puree the beans and stir them into the saucepan and simmer another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

WHITE BEANS WITH BACON AND ENDIVE

Steps:

• Cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pot and sauté until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add half of endive with water still clinging to leaves. Cover pot and cook until endive is wilted, stirring once, about 4 minutes. Add remaining half of endive and chopped garlic. Cover and cook until endive leaves are wilted but still bright green, stirring once, about 4 minutes. Add cannellini, beef broth, and bacon. Cook bean mixture until heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.