White Bean and Pancetta Soup

The subtle flavor of thyme and the smokiness of the pureed pancetta make this a very interesting soup.  It pairs really nicely with the red pepper cumin salad from my last post spread over a toasted slice of baguette.  The soup benefits from some contrast in color and texture, and they tie together in flavor because of the use of thyme in each.  It's also a good thing that they both use thyme because you can't always buy thyme in small enough quantities so here are two recipes to help you use it all up.


Once all the vegetables are softened, the soup only takes ten minutes to simmer, meaning it can be ready to eat in just about half an hour.  Both the soup and the red pepper salad reheat well the next day for an easy and elegant lunch.

If you plan to serve the soup alone, add some toasted breadcrumbs to give it a more interesting texture and make it a more satisfying dish alone.  Grind up a piece of bread in a clean coffee grinder and then toast the crumbs in a small sautee pan in butter.  When the bread crumbs are golden brown, sprinkle them onto the soup.   Keep extra breadcrumbs sealed in a plastic bag to sprinkle on leftover soup.

White Bean and Pancetta Soup
Adapted from williams-sonoma.com

Served with Red Peppers with Cumin on a toasted baguette (pictured).  See recipe for Red Peppers with Cumin here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped pancetta
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans (each 15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained  
• 5 cups chicken broth (don't substitute more than 1 cup for water)
• 3/4 tsp. fresh thyme, pulled off the sprig, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

DIRECTIONS:

In a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Using a garlic press, squeeze in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cannellini beans, broth and thyme and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, puree in a food processor, working and batches, and covering the top of the machine with a towel to prevent spills.  Stir in the cheese and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with thyme leaves and more fresh pepper.  Serve.


Serves 6.