When the weather gets cold outside, and it has been quite chilly in the Bay Area this week, I like to serve hearty soups such as Tuscan White Bean with Pancetta, Italian Sausage, Cavolo Nero and Parmesan Gremolata.  This soup has beautiful colors with the red tomato broth, white beans and dark green leafy kale and it tastes really great too!

To start, soak white cannellini beans overnight in lots of water along with bay leaf, thyme sprigs and a couple cloves of garlic. To cook the beans, drain the soaking water and add beans to a large pot and cover with plenty of fresh water.  Bring the beans to a boil and then turn down to a low simmer and cook until al dente. Drain beans and set aside.

Meanwhile, roast a bunch of roma tomatoes (slice in half and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper) in a 400-degree oven until slightly charred. Cool tomatoes and then remove the skins and seeds.  Divide the tomatoes in half—blend half of the tomatoes and rough chop the other half.  Combine tomatoes together in a bowl and set aside for the soup. 

In a large pot, sauté diced pancetta (or you can use apple wood smoked bacon) in olive oil until fat has been rendered.  Add crumbled Italian sausage (either hot or mild) and cook until no longer pink. Next add medium diced carrots, onion and celery, along with chopped herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano and minced garlic. Cook the mixture for about five minutes to soften the vegetables and then add the chopped roasted tomatoes, chicken stock to almost cover, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Bring soup to a slight boil and then turn down and simmer for about 40 minutes to let the flavors combine.

To finish the soup add the white cannellini beans and chopped cavolo nero. Cavolo Nero is Tuscan kale and referred to as black cabbage because of the dark forest green/black leaves. The kale is very tender and almost lacy in texture and retains its color when cooked. If you can’t find cavolo nero then you can use regular kale, swiss chard, collard greens or spinach. Cook the soup for another five minutes to soften the kale and then taste again and re-season if necessary.

To garnish the soup, I made a parmesan gremolata, as it adds a fresh, tangy flavor and bright finish to the soup. Gremolata is normally made with minced parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic. To make my version, shred or grate really good parmesan and place in a bowl, along with finely minced garlic, chopped parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. To serve, sprinkle the soup with lots of the parmesan gremolata and enjoy!