White Bean Soup with Rosemary

Ingredients

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• 4 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp for sweating, 1 tbsp for drizzling
• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 carrot peeled, finely diced
• 2 sprig rosemary fresh, whole sprigs
• 3 clove garlic thinly sliced
• 2 can white beans two 14-ounce cans, rinsed and drained
• 800 ml (3 1/2 cup) vegetable broth hot; check the label for allergens
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Method

1. Finely dice the onion and carrot and thinly slice the garlic. Rinse the beans in a strainer under cold water until no more foam appears and let them drain well.
2. Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 3-quart (3-liter) pot over medium heat. Sweat the onion, carrot and rosemary sprigs for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute; it should smell fragrant and not turn brown.
3. Add the beans, broth and bay leaf, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes without the lid, until the carrot pieces are tender.
4. Remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaf and take the pot off the heat. Roughly blend about a third of the soup with an immersion blender, 3 or 4 short pulses are enough. With a countertop blender, use two ladlefuls, fill it no more than halfway and leave the lid opening uncovered with a towel over it, since hot steam pushes off a sealed lid.
5. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper and heat the soup for 2 minutes. Divide it among four bowls and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Tip: Always pour off the liquid from the can: it makes the soup slimy and foams when it cooks.

Tip: For a creamier soup, blend up to half instead of a third. Keep some hot water ready, though, because the soup gets noticeably thicker.