Over the years I've made this soup a number of times. It wasn't until I took a vacation in Italy and we drove through Tuscany, that I had an authentic version in Sienna. It was rich and hearty, with lots of root vegetables and a nice salty broth that was thickened with bread.
The recipe I've included here is a great remake, though you can add more and different vegetables if you have them on hand. You can also make it vegan (if that's your thing) by omitting the pancetta and changing the stock to vegetable rather than chicken. Additionally I used great northern beans, by if you can find Cannellini beans they are preferred, as they are a little meatier and nuttier.
There are a couple things that I do when I make this soup that make it different and stand out. *The first thing to keep in mind is you want to either soak the beans overnight, or degas them before you use them. Then I cut the vegetables in irregular shapes to add an extra element to the soup. You want to keep them the same size so they all cook evenly. I also season and roast the vegetables to get some caramelization on them and give the soup another dimension. And finally I keep the bread out of the soup until I serve it, to ensure the texture is what I'm looking for.
*I've read differing articles about soaking and degassing beans. By soaking them overnight and adding some vinegar when they are almost cooked you are decreasing the cook time and making them easier to digest. You can also bring them to a boil for a couple of minutes and then cover them for about an hour then strain off the water (this decreases the gas, but not the cook time).
Ingredients
Pancetta, diced 4 oz
Carrots, cut on a bias 4 ea medium-large
Celery, large slices 1/2 bunch
Onion, diced 1 ea
Rosemary, finely chopped 1 T
Rosemary, whole 2 sprigs
Garlic, sliced 6 ea
Aleppo Pepper (or crushed red) 2 tsp
Lemon, zest and juice 2 ea
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 T
Fennel Seed, toasted and ground 1 T
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chicken Stock 3 qt
Water to cover
Sherry Vinegar 1 T
Cannellini Beans, dried 12 oz
Kale, stemmed and chopped 2 cups
Garnish
Method of Procedure
Soak your beans overnight in a container triple the size of the dried beans.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut your carrots on an uneven bias and mix with your cut celery.
Season the carrots and celery with your Aleppo pepper, lemon zest, fennel seed, chopped rosemary, and salt and pepper. Put on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes until it gets golden brown.
Saute your onions, garlic, whole rosemary, and pancetta until the pancetta has rendered and become crispy.
Strain the water off the beans and add beans to vegetables and pancetta.
Add the chicken stock, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add more water to make sure you have about double the liquid that you have vegetables and beans for.
Add kale and roasted vegetables then continue to simmer for 1 more hour. Season to taste.
To serve place soup with broth into a bowl and top with Parmesan Pancetta Croutons
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