topic Re: Tuscan bean soup in Recipes

Tuscan bean soup

cherry — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:37:36 GMT

By Michelle DiFranco |
Symbolism and soup go hand in hand

In our dining room hangs a framed print of Caravaggio’s “The Calling of St. Matthew,” which is a reliable conversation starter when we have guests over for dinner. Like clockwork, right about the time we are serving the soup course, my husband starts explaining the layers of symbolism in the painting:

“... the source of the light does not come through the window, because the light in the painting symbolizes God’s presence, not the sunlight.”

“... the subjects are vested in Renaissance garments of Caravaggio’s time, except Jesus and Peter who are dressed in the garb of first century Judea, symbolic that Christ’s message is always relevant despite the year we live in.”

... etc., etc.

Once he gets going, my husband kind of loses himself in the clever messaging embedded in the artwork.

The painting illustrates the passage from the Gospel of Matthew

Caravaggio was much more comfortable depicting the sinful man and even used peasants and prostitutes for his models. Perhaps that is because the artist himself could identify with the brokenness of his subjects. Caravaggio had a dark and violent nature that on at least one occasion brought him to murder and, in the end, resulted in his own violent death as well. Yet from this flawed and troubled soul comes some of the most magnificent and beautiful religious art of the 1600s, replete with Christian symbolism and a profound understanding of the faith. Caravaggio captures our admiration as a shining example of how God can work through our gifts, despite our flaws, to produce things of great beauty.

As we approach the feast day of St. Matthew on Sept. 21, one wonders if Caravaggio pondered this concept. Did he relate to Matthew, himself a sinner who was ultimately used by Christ to create something good? We can only conjecture. I’m sure when we next entertain, my husband will wax on about symbolism in the art that hangs in our dining room to the guests we will be hosting. Right about then, I will again serve the soup. As a nod to Caravaggio’s origins, perhaps I’ll prepare some Tuscan bean soup (Ribollita). It dates back to the Middle Ages and, like the models he was fond of using, it has peasant origins. I wonder if Caravaggio himself ate this soup or some version of it. I’ll suggest that to the guests … once my husband is done with his art lesson!

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

1 pound diced pancetta (or cooked chopped bacon)

1 14-ounce can cannellini beans (drained/rinsed)

1 14-ounce can kidney beans (drained/rinsed)

1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans (drained/rinsed)

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cups chopped green kale (stalks removed)

3-4 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup white wine

2 quarts chicken broth

2 sprigs rosemary

1-2 sprigs thyme

1 sprig oregano

1 loaf rustic Italian bread (cut into cubes)

Grated parmesan cheese (for serving)

DIRECTIONS

Bundle the herbs in cooking string and set aside. In a large stock pot, cook pancetta in olive oil until slightly crispy (3-4 minutes). Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes. (Alternatively, cooked/chopped bacon can be substituted after vegetables are sautéed.) Add the white wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add all drained beans, diced tomatoes and the chicken broth. Add bundled herbs and additional salt and pepper to taste (if needed). Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the kale and continue to cook on a gentle simmer until vegetables are tender (about 30-40 minutes). Remove bundled herbs.

Throw bread cubes in a sauté pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toast over medium heat until light golden brown on outside (7-10 minutes), tossing occasionally. Serve soup topped off with toasted bread and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

QVCkitty1 — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:47:31 GMT

I would love a bowl of that soup, with a piece of crusty bread. Yum. 😋

Re: Tuscan bean soup

cherry — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:52:57 GMT

It is certainly easy enough to make @QVCkitty1

Re: Tuscan bean soup

QVCkitty1 — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:55:42 GMT

@cherry wrote:
It is certainly easy enough to make @QVCkitty1

@cherry , Yes and except for the bacon, I have all of the ingredients, even the fresh herbs. Hmmm, trip to the store ?

Re: Tuscan bean soup

cherry — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:57:37 GMT

@QVCkitty1you could use any meat that you have . It doesn't

'thave to be bacon or you could leave it out ,and see how you like it

Re: Tuscan bean soup

firestorm — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 22:13:28 GMT

The ingredient list is toooooooooooooo long!! I cook & make everything from scratch, but I've given up on recipes like this that have tons of ingredients. Life is too short!

Re: Tuscan bean soup

godi — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 22:16:52 GMT

😋 thanks for the recipe. ❤️

Re: Tuscan bean soup

vickie25 — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 00:15:15 GMT

Here is a vegan version in the Tuscan family.. I haven't tried it yet but it is on my list to make. It is from Taste of Home.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 20 min.

YIELD: 4 servings (1-1/4 quarts).

Tuscan Portobello Stew

Ingredients
2 large portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine or vegetable broth
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chopped fresh kale
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Directions
1. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the wine. Bring to a
boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes, kale and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce
heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
2. Add beans; heat through. Discard bay leaf.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/4 cups: 309 calories, 8g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 672mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 13g fiber), 12g protein.

Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1-1/2 fat, 1 lean meat.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

Patriot3 — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:48:07 GMT

@firestorm wrote:
The ingredient list is toooooooooooooo long!! I cook & make everything from scratch, but I've given up on recipes like this that have tons of ingredients. Life is too short!

@firestormI'm the same way. I look at the list of ingredients and decide if I want to make it. So much of what I make is just throw this and that in Reading recipes drives me crazy. Except for baking. That takes measurments.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

Knit-Chick — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 19:28:29 GMT

@firestorm wrote:
The ingredient list is toooooooooooooo long!! I cook & make everything from scratch, but I've given up on recipes like this that have tons of ingredients. Life is too short!

It's not that long! Several of the ingredients are just cans of veggies!

Sounds good

Re: Tuscan bean soup

firestorm — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 20:22:44 GMT

Kathleen777: yes, opening up cans & throwing them in a soup pot is not how I cook. The flavor will be 'canned'. Recipes this long exhaust me just reading them.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

cherry — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 23:27:29 GMT

Then don't read it. I post it for people that like to try new things and aren't afraid to experiment with recipes

You might enjoy other threads better than mine, because I will continue to post things like baked potatoes, which you also found to be a great challenge

For all that enjoyed the reading the recipe thank you, and I hope you are happy with it

Re: Tuscan bean soup

firestorm — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 23:52:14 GMT

cherry, if you are going to post on this forum, you must know you can't be tooo sensitive. Different strokes. We aren't all the same and don't all like the samething. That's life. More people on this blog are liking your recipes. Don't let others ruffle your feathers.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

AnjalenaQVC — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 23:57:40 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it is argumentative.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

RACALAMB2 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:59:02 GMT

@cherry wrote:
By Michelle DiFranco |
Symbolism and soup go hand in hand

In our dining room hangs a framed print of Caravaggio’s “The Calling of St. Matthew,” which is a reliable conversation starter when we have guests over for dinner. Like clockwork, right about the time we are serving the soup course, my husband starts explaining the layers of symbolism in the painting:

“... the source of the light does not come through the window, because the light in the painting symbolizes God’s presence, not the sunlight.”

“... the subjects are vested in Renaissance garments of Caravaggio’s time, except Jesus and Peter who are dressed in the garb of first century Judea, symbolic that Christ’s message is always relevant despite the year we live in.”

... etc., etc.

Once he gets going, my husband kind of loses himself in the clever messaging embedded in the artwork.

The painting illustrates the passage from the Gospel of Matthew

Caravaggio was much more comfortable depicting the sinful man and even used peasants and prostitutes for his models. Perhaps that is because the artist himself could identify with the brokenness of his subjects. Caravaggio had a dark and violent nature that on at least one occasion brought him to murder and, in the end, resulted in his own violent death as well. Yet from this flawed and troubled soul comes some of the most magnificent and beautiful religious art of the 1600s, replete with Christian symbolism and a profound understanding of the faith. Caravaggio captures our admiration as a shining example of how God can work through our gifts, despite our flaws, to produce things of great beauty.

As we approach the feast day of St. Matthew on Sept. 21, one wonders if Caravaggio pondered this concept. Did he relate to Matthew, himself a sinner who was ultimately used by Christ to create something good? We can only conjecture. I’m sure when we next entertain, my husband will wax on about symbolism in the art that hangs in our dining room to the guests we will be hosting. Right about then, I will again serve the soup. As a nod to Caravaggio’s origins, perhaps I’ll prepare some Tuscan bean soup (Ribollita). It dates back to the Middle Ages and, like the models he was fond of using, it has peasant origins. I wonder if Caravaggio himself ate this soup or some version of it. I’ll suggest that to the guests … once my husband is done with his art lesson!

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

1 pound diced pancetta (or cooked chopped bacon)

1 14-ounce can cannellini beans (drained/rinsed)

1 14-ounce can kidney beans (drained/rinsed)

1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans (drained/rinsed)

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cups chopped green kale (stalks removed)

3-4 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup white wine

2 quarts chicken broth

2 sprigs rosemary

1-2 sprigs thyme

1 sprig oregano

1 loaf rustic Italian bread (cut into cubes)

Grated parmesan cheese (for serving)

DIRECTIONS

Bundle the herbs in cooking string and set aside. In a large stock pot, cook pancetta in olive oil until slightly crispy (3-4 minutes). Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes. (Alternatively, cooked/chopped bacon can be substituted after vegetables are sautéed.) Add the white wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add all drained beans, diced tomatoes and the chicken broth. Add bundled herbs and additional salt and pepper to taste (if needed). Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the kale and continue to cook on a gentle simmer until vegetables are tender (about 30-40 minutes). Remove bundled herbs.

Throw bread cubes in a sauté pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toast over medium heat until light golden brown on outside (7-10 minutes), tossing occasionally. Serve soup topped off with toasted bread and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

Re: Tuscan bean soup

RACALAMB2 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 01:07:07 GMT

@firestorm wrote:
Kathleen777: yes, opening up cans & throwing them in a soup pot is not how I cook. The flavor will be 'canned'. Recipes this long exhaust me just reading them.

Not one item "has" to come from a can!

Soup is good for the sole! Try some.

Re: Tuscan bean soup

Emmie1165 — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 04:13:03 GMT

Thank you for posting this Cherry...just ignore the negative criticism..it is likely too deep for some to comprehend. I love the way you intertwined the story of the beautiful art work, and the recipe. Just perfect. I adore making soup...when I can, I use soaked dried beans, but in a pinch canned beans are perfect. And any cook would know..tomatoes are out of season now...so ALWAYS use canned tomatoes in recipes in the winter. I am a plant based eater, so I would just substitute the pancetta for some smoked paprika, and would use vegetable stock. No other changes. Beautiful post...

Re: Tuscan bean soup

Nonametoday — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 19:37:49 GMT

@cherry I enjoyed the story, whether it is fable or truth, the painting, the recipe and thank you again. It makes it much more charming and intriguing to have a story associated with "anything."

Re: Tuscan bean soup

cherry — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 20:28:18 GMT

The Story is true @Nonametoday . I have followed her foe a long time, and she always talks a bit about her family ,and history, when she does a column

Re: Tuscan bean soup

wagirl — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 15:43:52 GMT

this recipe sounds so good--and there are only 8 ingredients really--I don't count the herbs; and opening up cans of beans??? not too hard--- and I can chop everything in my Ninja Storm chopper in a flash too---most time spent is on the sauteing---easy peasy!!! thanks!!!