White Bean Soup with Chive Oil

Ingredients

• 18 servings cooking oil for drizzling
• 0.5 cup carrots chopped
• 0.5 cup celery chopped
• 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme sprigs fresh chopped
• 8  garlic clove chopped
• 2 cups cannellini beans dried white picked over rinsed
• 0.5 cup half and half 
• 1 cup leek white green chopped ( and pale parts only)
• 11 cups chicken broth homemade canned as needed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 large onion chopped
• 18 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 1 large tomatoes halved seeded chopped

Equipment

• ladle
• pot
• blender

Directions

1. Put the beans in a large pot, add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches, and let soak overnight.
2. Drain.
3. Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion, leeks, tomato, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.
5. Add the beans, chicken stock, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour.
6. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the half-and-half, then add more chicken stock to thin the soup if needed, and reheat the soup if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Ladle into espresso cups and top each with a few squirts or a drizzle of chive oil.
8. Reprinted with permission from Cook
9. Fight by Kim Severson and Julia Moskin, © 2012 Ecco