Tuscan White Bean Soup

Tuscan White Bean Soup- I have to admit that I ripped this recipe off from Giada. However, her version was a little fancier than the recipe that I am sharing.  For instance, I substituted onion for shallot and left out a sage leaf because I'm not a huge fan of sage (the herb, not the person!) and I wasn't going to go spend $3 on sage when the recipe only called for one leaf.  Anyway, this is the 3rd time that i've made this soup.  Cannellini beans are super creamy and make for a very velvety soup. This soup doesn't take any time to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients.  Giada's recipe served the soup with toasted ciabatta bread but we are having it tonight as a main course along with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread.

•  2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. If you have an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in its pot.  If not, carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.
Tomorrow's recipe will be Homemade Marinara Sauce.  All you will need is 1 large can of  whole tomatoes, 1 onion and a couple of carrots!