Pancetta, Bean and Spinach Soup

A friend at work asked me to re-create a pancetta bean soup she loves that is served at a restaurant across the street from the office. She described the soup to me and this is what I came up with. I have not actually tasted the restaurant’s soup myself, so I brought a sampling into work today and I received approval!

I also served this soup last night to my friends who came over to watch the Oscars with me, and they loved it. So this hearty soup is definitely a winner, and better yet, it is also really easy to make! I especially love the pancetta in it, which I think is such a treat.

What exactly is pancetta? In sum, pancetta is Italian bacon. Unlike American bacon, it is not smoked. Instead, pancetta is pork belly that has been cured with salt and spices for about three months. Also, unlike American bacon, pancetta comes in the form of a very large sausage.

So are you now ready to make this really yummy soup? Here is what you need (for 5 servings):

• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 4 small onions, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 celery sticks, chopped
• 2/3 lb pancetta
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tsp fresh thyme
• 4 cans (19 oz.) of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 32 oz. chicken broth
• 4 handfuls of fresh spinach, cooked (See note 1)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large stock pot or sauté pan (about 5 qt.) over medium heat, add olive oil.
2. Just start dicing the onion and adding it into the pot as you go. Continue with the rest of the ingredients—cutting, as needed, and adding as you go down the list—up through the thyme. Be sure to stir frequently.
3. Once the onion and celery become translucent, add the beans. Let cook for a few minutes until the beans are warmed.
4. Add the chicken broth and turn the heat up to medium high.
5. Once the broth is heated, discard the bay leaf and then ladle the soup into a food processor and puree fully. This will likely need to be completed in batches and transferred to a second container. It took me three batches in my 11 cup food processor. (See note 2)
6. Mix in spinach.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Also go to Sweetnicks where on Tuesday March 14 this soup will be posted for the weekly food blogging event! Every Tuesday, food bloggers who made a recipe that includes an ARF (Antioxidant Rich Food), fruit, veggie or any combination of the three can be included in Sweetnicks' ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday evening round-up.


Notes:

1. I simply cooked my spinach by placing it in a bowl, drizzling it with a little water, covering the bowl with saran wrap, and putting it in the microwave for 1.5 minutes. If you do not have a microwave, then just sauté it with some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Avoid using frozen spinach because it tends to be chopped and will look messy in your beautiful soup.
2. Don’t have a food processor? Then just skip this step. The soup will also be great without being pureed. Note that if you do want to puree it, you really do need a food processor. I think it is the only tool that will appropriately puree the pancetta (though I could be underestimating the power of a blender?).

Feeling Blah Chicken Pot Pie without the Chicken or the Pie or Most the Vegetables

So I don't think this will make the recipe books, but it was just what I was in the mood for tonight. I think my body is flirting with having a cold because I feel so blah. And when I feel blah, I always crave chicken pot pie. My problem--I didn’t want to go through the effort of actually making chicken pot pie! When feeling blah, that is way too much effort!

I didn't feel like dealing with the pastry or the chicken, and well, there are just too many vegetables to worry about too. So ultimately I decided that what I really wanted was the yummy filling simplified by using one ingredient. I went with mushrooms since, well, they are the easiest (I of course bought them pre-sliced).

I have to admit that I have never made chicken pot pie so I sort of winged my way through this (another reason why I don’t think this will make the recipe books). Since I do not recall the measurements so much, I will talk you through it.

I started by making a roux to help give the "soup" some thickness. To make a roux, you just cook equal parts butter and flour until it turns a soft brown (I used about 2 tbsp of each; this process takes away the flour taste). I then added the mushrooms and sprinkled them with salt to help bring out their moisture. I had about two cups of mushrooms, but I would recommend using only one cup. When the mushrooms had cooked through, I then added the chicken broth--about two cups. From here I seasoned with salt and pepper, and added about two tablespoons of thyme. The final result was just what I was looking for--the perfect comfort food that took no effort!

If I were making this again and wanted to serve it to others, I would add a little sour cream. I love sour cream in soups. I know, I know, it probably sounds weird but it gives soups a nice creaminess with a light taste. I would also added some lemon juice or zest to lighten the flavors and bring out the thyme more. I think these changes would help make the soup more special. However, for tonight, it really was just what I was in the mood for! So if you are feeling blah, I do recommend this chicken pot pie without the chicken or the pie or the vegetables!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

What I love about making soup is that it is so darn easy! If you are timid in the kitchen, soup is a great way to get yourself comfortable with cooking. It is also a great start to creating your own dishes because you can really do whatever you are in the mood for.

In deciding on tonight’s dinner, I did what I usually do. I just stood in my market’s produce section staring at all the vegetables thinking about all the options and what flavors I was in the mood for (the produce people at the market are now used to me doing this and know me well).

Since it was a cold, windy day, I wanted something that would be comforting but I also wanted something that would be quick and easy. So I figured I could make cauliflower soup and add roasted garlic to give it the warm, fuzzy feeling (I love garlic, so for me it is a warm fuzzy feeling!).

So here is what you need (per 1 large entrée serving, or 2 appetizer portions):

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 head of cauliflower florets
• Olive oil (enough to thickly coat bottom of small omelet pan)
• 5 cloves of garlic (you can use less, about 2-3, if you do not want a strong garlic flavor)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parsley to garnish

1. Pour broth into a pot and add cauliflower florets. Bring the broth to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is tender.
2. As the cauliflower is cooking, put olive oil and garlic cloves into a pan over a very low heat. You want to slowly cook the garlic without burning it. The garlic is ready when it is tender and lightly browned. (see picture)
3. When cauliflower and garlic are ready, place garlic and olive oil into a food processor. Then take the cauliflower florets out of the broth (reserving the broth—you need it in the next step) and place them in the food processor (I think a blender would work as well). Mix until well pureed.
4. Slowly add the broth until the soup reaches the desired consistency. It is best to only add one ladles’ worth at a time, mix, and then decide if you want more broth.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour soup into bowl(s) and garnish with parsley.

Now let me share a little warning with y’all. If you must drink some of the soup directly from the food processor bowl, be sure to first remove the blade in order to prevent the big, sharp blade from falling out, hitting you on the face, and cutting your lip. Um, yes, I do now have a cut lip…