White Bean Soup

• 2 cups dried Great Northern beans
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 bacon slices, chopped
• 10 1/2 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• White truffle oil (optional)*

1. Place beans in heavy large pot. Add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Soak overnight. Drain beans.
2. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, leek, tomato, carrots, celery, garlic and bacon and saute until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Add beans, 10 1/2 cups chicken stock, chopped thyme and rosemary. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.
3. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream. Add more chicken stock by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Lightly drizzle top of each with white truffle oil, if desired.
4. *White truffle oil is available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets nationwide.

dried great northern beans, olive oil, onion, tomato, carrots, celery, garlic, bacon, chicken, thyme, rosemary, whipping cream, truffle oil

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/white-bean-soup-50186242 (may not work)