By Two weeks to Thanksgiving. The classroom is doing a Thanksgiving-adjacent project — Ms. Reyes is careful about cultural context, so it is less about Pilgrims and more about gratitude and food, which I find exactly right. The kids are making a list of foods they are thankful for. M. listed: "eggs, orange juice, the cracker kind not the regular kind." I read this and thought I cannot wait to tell people about this child for the rest of my life.
Finishing line visible for the semester: two more weeks of full-time student teaching, then a final week of observation, then finals, then December graduation. I am going to walk across a stage in December with Steve and Patty in the audience and Matt driving in from Springfield and Kristin hopefully flying in from New York. Babcia Rose called this week and asked what time the ceremony started. She called it "the party." She said she was already planning what to wear. Babcia Rose in a formal hat at a graduation ceremony is something I need to live to see.
Made a big pot of white bean soup this week — the Italian kind, with rosemary and garlic and olive oil and white beans and chicken broth and a piece of prosciutto I bought on clearance that was technically a luxury but was under a dollar fifty. Simmered it low for an hour. Had it for lunch three days running and dinner twice. Brought Courtney a bowl on Wednesday because she was studying for a nursing exam and looked gray.
She said "You cook for people when they are struggling." I said I grew up in a Polish Catholic family, it is practically a medical intervention. She laughed. I made her eat the whole bowl and told her she was going to pass the exam, which she did. Some of the most important things I will ever do are just: put a bowl of soup in front of someone. I learned that from Patty. I learned it from Babcia Rose. I am going to keep doing it forever.
This is the soup from that week — the one I made when the semester was almost done and I needed something that would take care of me back. It costs almost nothing, it gets better on day two and day three, and it is the kind of thing you can carry across a parking lot in a container and hand to someone who looks gray and not say much else. That’s the whole point. Here’s how I make it.
Italian White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Prosciutto
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 oz prosciutto (about 2 thin slices), roughly torn or chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 6–8 minutes.
- Add garlic and prosciutto. Add the garlic and torn prosciutto to the pot. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and the prosciutto begins to crisp at the edges.
- Bloom the rosemary. Add rosemary sprigs and red pepper flakes if using. Stir and let cook 1 minute so the herbs open up in the oil.
- Add beans and liquid. Pour in the drained beans, chicken broth, and water. Stir to combine. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper.
- Simmer low. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the broth is fragrant and slightly thickened and some of the beans have softened into the liquid.
- Mash a few beans. Use the back of a wooden spoon or a ladle to press about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Stir to incorporate — this thickens the broth without any cream or flour.
- Finish and serve. Remove rosemary sprigs. Taste and adjust salt. Ladle into bowls, drizzle generously with good olive oil, and serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 230 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 520mg