Rosemary White Bean Soup

By Ina Garten and modified by Webbie

1 pound dried Great Northern beans
4 c sliced yellow onions
1/4 c. olive oil*
4 slices bacon diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground pepper

Cover beans with water by at least 1 inch and refrigerate hours or overnight; drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, brown the bacon to render the fat and remove the bacon. Saute the onions with the olive oil and bacon fat until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the beans, rosemary, chicken stock and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Puree the soup in the food processeor until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste.**
Top the soup with bacon pieces for serving.

One helpful hint from the book - do not salt the beans until after they are cooked, if you salt before they are cooked through, they become tough. Hope you all enjoy this soup!!!

*when using bacon fat, reduce the amount of olive oil
**I used the immersion blender

Seriously yummy stuff! Guess what I'm having for lunch today?