Tuscan Bean Soup Americas Test Kitchen Recipes

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the capicola, red onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, 2 cups water, the parmesan rind, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind.
• Meanwhile, lightly toast the bread; rub both sides with the whole garlic clove and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Stir the escarole into the soup and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Top each serving of soup with a piece of toast. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes, getting lots of flavor in the bottom of the pot. Stir in the red pepper flakes and dried oregano; cook and stir for another 30 seconds.
• Pour in the wine and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pot a bit as you go. Allow this to bubble up and reduce, cooking until the wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, then the beans. Pour in the chicken broth. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
• Rinse the kale and tear it into chunks. Stir it into the soup (it'll shrink quite a bit, so don't be afraid when you first add it!). Simmer the soup for another 5 minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (or even more red pepper flakes) as needed.
• Transfer the soup to a large serving bowl. Add big, fat Parmesan shavings and garnish with torn basil.

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP (AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN)

Steps:

• Add 3 tbsp table salt to 4 qt water and stir until dissolved. Add the picked over, rinsed beans and leave them to soak overnight (8 to 24 hours) at room temperature.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until it smokes. Add pancetta and cook 6-10 minutes, until the edges are crisp and browned. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook until very soft and a little browned, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes.
• Drain water from beans and discard. Rinse well and add beans to the pot. Add broth, water and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to a preheated 250°F oven. Let cook 45-60 minutes.
• Add kale. Drain and rinse tomatoes, then add those to the pot as well. Re-cover and cook until beans are tender, about another 30 minutes. Add rosemary sprig and submerge it in the soup. Let stand off heat for 15 minutes, then remove and discard rosemary and bay leaves. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve with garlic toasts.

TUSCAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion and carrot in oil until onion is tender. Add the broth, water, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in beans and pasta; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add escarole; cook until just wilted.

AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For the topping: pulse the bread, softened butter, salt and pepper in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the onions; set aside.
• For the beans: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring 4 qt water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tbsp salt and the beans. Cook until bright green and slightly crunchy, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the beans and plunge immediately into a large bowl filled with ice water to stop cooking. Spread the beans out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• Meanwhile, cover the dried porcini mushrooms with 1/2 cup hot tap water in a small microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents with a paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand until the mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift the mushrooms from the liquid with a fork and mince using a chef's knife (you should have about 2 tablespoons). Pour the liquid through a paper towel-lined sieve and reserve.
• Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the foaming subsides, about 1 minute. Add the onion, button and cremini mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture, about 2 minutes. Add the porcini mushrooms along with their strained soaking liquid, thyme, 1 tsp salt and pepper; cook until all the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the broth and reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the cream and simmer gently until the sauce has the consistency of a dense soup, about 15 minutes.
• Arrange the beans in a 3-quart gratin dish. Pour the mushroom mixture over the beans and mix to coat the beans evenly. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.