MY UNCE JOHN'S TUSCAN WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE SOUP

What an amazing day I am already having!!!! I was searching for my usual Friday cocktail to blog and getting a headache..which might have something to do with my night out last night.....so I decided to forget the blog for a second and check out what was happening to all my facebook friends this morning....

I opened facebook and there was a message waiting for me. It was a note from my Uncle John with this recipe attached!!!!! So great!!!! It was such a great surprise not only because it looked sooooo delicious, but I loved that Uncle John thought of me and my blog. Thank you Uncle!!!

Anyone who doesn't know Uncle John needs to know he is Italian through and through so definitely try this. So here it is:

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup dried cannellini beans (or great northern)

8 ounces mild Italian sausage, casing removed

8 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

4 tbl tomato paste

1/3 cup chopped carrots

1/3 cups chopped onion

1/3 cups chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped garlic

3/4 cup small pasta, farfilline, dry

salt

pepper

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Cover the beans with water at least two inches higher than the beans.

In a non-reactive heavy sauce pan or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and stir until all the vegetables are glazed with oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring about 2 minutes or until the vegetables are softened but not brown.

Crumble the sausage and add to the pan. Cook stirring and breaking the sausage apart about 4 minutes or until sausage is thoroughly cooked.

Drain the beans and add to the pan with the chicken broth and tomato paste and stir well. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally. Cook about 45 minutes then add the pasta and cook an additional 30 minutes or until the beans are tender and the soup has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Makes about 12 cups.

To spice it up a bit you can substitute hot Italian sausage either by completely replacing the mild or some portion thereof. You can also add 1/2 tbl of chopped fennel.

Love, Uncle John

Thank you very much, Love Julie

ENJOY!