Do you like Winter?

I have to admit that I love the variety of seasons that Pennsylvania has, but my least favorite is winter. The older I get, the less I hate the cold and snow. I tend to want to stay home and be cozy, and cook a lot of comfort foods like soups and stews.
I came across the Tuscan White Bean and Green Soup and it sounded interesting so I thought I'd share the recipe. I did add sausage to mine but you can omit or even make it vegetarian by using vegetable stock.
This was my first time ever eating escarole, crazy - right? I remember my maternal grandmother sauteing it with garlic, crushed red pepper in oil. Well, I had some  left over escarole and I sautéed it last night and  it is delicious. (Now, you have 2 recipes).

Tuscan White Bean and Green Soup (bboyd@thewcpress.com)
1 large onion cut into chunks             2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained,                  
4 celery stalks cut into chunks           liquid reserve, rinsed 
4 garlic cloves, peeled                         2 small heads escarole, trimmed and chopped        
1/2 c of olive oil                                    2 c finely chopped fennel bulb
1 (28 oz.) can tomato puree                 2 tbsp finely chopped oregano
3/4 tsp salt                                            2 large eggs       
1/8 tsp ground cayenne                       1/2 c grated pecorino romano cheese
6 c chicken broth.                                   1/2 c finely chopped parsley
Cooked sausage cut into bite size pieces (optional)  juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Place onions, celery and garlic in food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. 
2. Heat oil over medium high heat and add mixture along with salt and cayenne.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a light brown fond begins to form on the bottom of pot, about 12 min.
4. Add tomatoes and increase heat to high - stir occasionally until mixture thickens, about 10 min. 
5. Add broth and chopped fennel to pot and reduce hat to medium low. Simmer about 5 min.
6. Add beans and greens; continue to simmer until fennel is fully tender about 5 more minutes, 
7. Whisk egg yolks into reserved bean liquid and stir into soup
8. Add cooked sausage (if desired)
9. Remove from heat and add herbs, cheese and lemon juice - adjust seasons.
10. Enjoy!

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