Tuscan Soup

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ham bone or heel of Parmaggiano-Reggiano cheese
1 large Onion
2 stalks Celery, with leaves
2 tbsp chopped Parsley
1 Leek
1 cup Rutabaga, cubed
3 large Carrots
2 large Potatoes
4 cups Savoy Cabbage, cut into strips
2 Zucchini, sliced and quartered
2 cups Homemade Tomato Sauce
Fresh spices - Sage, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme
4 cups Great Northern White Beans, 2 mashed, 2 whole 2 cup, sliced

This is a weekend soup. It takes time for all the flavors to mingle. Once it's done, you have soup for a week!

Saute onion, celery, leeks and parsley in olive oil with ham bone or heel of cheese until soft in a large stock pot. Add carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga, and let it begin to sweat and soften, stirring often. If it starts to stick, add broth or water. After about 10 min of cooking, add a splash of white wine, reduce, and then add the zucchini and cabbage. Add more stock/water as needed to keep the root veggies cooking. After another 20 minutes, add the tomatoes. Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked through and the flavors start to mingle. Add fresh spices toward the end of cooking: thyme, marjoram, oregano, sage...whatever you like. Add the beans last, 2 cups mashed and 2 cups whole. Stir and heat thoroughly. It can be eaten like this, drizzled with a flavorful olive oil, or layered over day-old cubed crusty bread in a large bowl, first bread cubes, then soup to cover, then bread, then soup, until the bowl is filled. Poke with a knife to make sure the soup penetrates the bread. Let set 5-10 minutes. Serve with a flavorful olive oil and/or freshly grated parmaggiano-reggiano cheese.

Serving Size: Makes 16 servings