Italian Tuscan Soup and Artisan Bread

I spent the day cooking up a batch of Deborah Mele's Creamy Tuscan Bean Soup and a loaf of Artisan Bread! These links will take you to the actual recipes, but I will briefly blog the process as well.  For the bread link, it takes you to the home page of the blog.  From there, select 'Recipes', 'Breads', and finally 'No Knead Artisan Bread'.

Soak the beans overnight to save time the day you want to make the soup. 

Once beans have finished the first simmering, add the chopped vegetables and rind.

Toss it all in a big pot and add the chicken stock and simmer again.  I added a sprig of rosemary and a bay leaf as well, for added flavor.

When beans are soft but not mushy, let soup cool, then whirl it in the blender or food processor.  Return to pot and rewarm while you start the garnish.

Dice the pancetta, apple and onion and saute in oil until soft.  Remove from heat and add parsley. 

Ladle soup into bowls and add a spoonful of garnish to each and serve. 

The bread is incredibly simple!  You must check it out! No kneading required!

It was tasty and perfect to serve with this soup!  We tried out my Calamondin Marmalade on it, too!