Sherrys White Bean Soup Recipe

Directions:

1. Actually you will be pureeing 2 of these ingredients so 2 bowls will be needed. In one bowl on top of your counter place your colander on top of the bowl now drain 2 cans of white beans, take your colander and rinse your beans gently under running cold water until bubbles disappear. Gently shake your beans to remove excess water. In a food processor or chopper add all the beans or some at a time, add 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper. Puree the beans if its looks to thick add some of the drain bean liquid. Puree until you see a smooth consistency not lumpy. Taste your puree beans. If you need to add anymore olive oil, salt or pepper do it now. Puree only 2 cans of the beans. Now set aside your pureed beans. Cover it.
2. Next puree both cans of tomatoes with juice and leave a little lumpy so as you need to taste the tomato and see it in the soup. Do not add any olive oil, salt or pepper. Pour into a bowl or if your food processor bowl is big enough then leave the tomatoes in it...why mess up a extra bowl if you don't have too. 2. In a pot ( you will know how large you will need) mine in about 4 cups or quarts or so.
3. Add a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil and saute' chopped onion until translucent or just until done maybe 5 minutes, add just a bit of salt and pepper to onion while sauteing.
4. Then add the chopped fine garlic saute. Saute garlic 2-3 minutes do not burn garlic.
5. Meantime while your veggies are sauteing, open the last 2 cans of small white beans and drain into colander and rinse also until you see no bubbles. Set aside 5. Now add chicken broth, tomatoes parsley, and whole beans into your pot. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup up to a med boil and just boil gently. You don't want to break the whole beans. Simmer with a lid about 10-15 minutes. After 10-15 taste your soup, if you need more olive oil, salt and pepper you can add it now. I always taste it too. Turn burner off now.
6. Add you pureeded beans into your soup and stir gently with a whisk. If I use a spoon at this stage thpureeded beans are lumpy. Your soup went from red to white. Now taste again. You may need to add salt and pepper up to you. But I always add more olive oil ...because I love it so.
7. For your bread you can take 1/2 of your fresh bread and make croutons. I sliced the bread into slices then into cubes, put the cubes in a bowl and coat with enough olive oil for browning. Toss with hands (easier) and spread on a cookie sheet and put cookie sheet under the broiler. Watch closely. When cubes brown on one side flip over and brown the other side. Go slowly with the olive on the bread to start off with because to much olive oil with drown the bread and won't brown under the broiler.
8. Ladle soup into bowl and add some fresh cut bread in it. Or before ladling soup into bowls, add 4-5 cubes of croutons then ladle soup..I like it best with the croutons first. Then add parmasean cheese if you want to it's optional but I hardley put that on anymore up to you.
9. A note: For every whole can of beans, you need one can of chicken broth, one can of whole tomato, and one can of prueed beans it's equal parts. Usually I make doubles or triples of this soup it never last here