Smoked tomato soup with herbed beans
Instructions:
- Soup:
- 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil;
- 1 large onion, diced (about 3 cups);
- 1 finely chopped anchovy fillet, 2 teaspoons anchovy paste, or 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce;
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced;
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary;
- 4 cups coarsely chopped smoked tomatoes and their juices (recipe follows);
- 2 to 21⁄2 cups chicken or vegetable stock;
- 2 cups 1-inch cubes crusty, country-style white bread or baguette;
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste;
- 3⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste;
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimentón), or to taste;
- Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, for serving.
- Beans:
- 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided;
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- 6 cups home-cooked shell beans (such as cannellini or pinto) with 1 cup cooking liquid or undrained canned beans;
- 1 to 2 cups chicken stock, divided;
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 3⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper;
- 1⁄2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley;
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh basil.
- For the soup: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the anchovy, garlic, and rosemary and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and 2 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the bread. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer gently until the bread is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Puree the soup in a blender (working in batches to not fill the blender more than half full) and return it to the pot, or puree it directly in the pot with an immersion blender. The soup should be thick but pourable, so thin it with additional stock if needed. Season with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Taste the soup; if your tomatoes aren’t as smoky as you like, you can boost their flavor with a little extra paprika. Keep the soup warm over low heat while you make the beans.
- For the beans: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until you can smell the aroma, about 30 seconds.
- Add the beans with their liquid and 1 cup of the stock. Simmer over low heat, stirring often, until the beans are hot and bathed in thick, creamy sauce, about 20 minutes. Add more stock as needed. Season with the salt and pepper.
- Just before serving, stir in the parsley and basil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve, stirring often and adding more stock if needed.
- To serve, ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Spoon some of the hot beans into the center of each serving, topping with the cheese and a generous drizzle of oil. Serve hot.