Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small chopped onion, about 1 cup
1 stalk celery, chopped, about 1/3 cup
1 medium carrot, chopped, about 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon smoked (or sweet) paprika
20 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into quarters
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 large sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan and sweat the onion, celery and carrot over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
Add the smoked paprika, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and stock and bring to a simmer.
Add the potato, beans, herbs, bay leaf, and 2 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil and let simmer, partially covered with a lid, over medium low heat until potato and garlic are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes (add a couple of ice cubes to expedite cooling). Spoon out the herb stems and bay leaf and discard.
Scoop out about a cup of beans and set aside. Use an immersion blender to blend the rest of the soup until creamy. Or, blend in a traditional blender, being very careful not to get burned — blend in batches and remove the lid center, cover with a dishrag, to allow steam to escape.
Add the reserved beans back to the blended soup, adjust for seasoning, and serve.
Cook’s Note: Traditionally, the herbs are tied up with kitchen string or placed in a cheesecloth pouch, called a “bouquet garni.” But fishing out the stems and allowing a few errant leaves to be blended up in the soup works quite fine for a quick weeknight soup.)
Nutrition information per serving: 181 calories; 14 calories from fat; 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 586 mg sodium; 32 g carbohydrate; 11 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 10 g protein.
Melissa d’Arabian, Associated Press
