White Bean Soup with Sausage

I spent most of this afternoon making a white bean soup. I had several cups of rehydrated beans left over in the refrigerator after making another stew earlier this week.

I chopped some shallots, sauteed them in olive oil in a big pot along with some chopped sage and rosemary. After the shallots were translucent, I added four or five cups of chicken stock and all the beans. I brought them to a boil and then let them simmer. After about an hour, I added five chopped tomatoes and one piece of sausage, and I continued to simmer the soup for about three more hours.

In the meantime, I made croutons out of the leftover wheat bread that I had made for Thanksgiving. I broke the remaining bread--perhaps a slice and a half--into small bite sizes and tossed them in olive oil and salt before baking them in the oven for about eight minutes. Actually, I let them go too long, so they came out slightly burned. Damn!

When it came time for dinner, I ladled out the soup, tossed a few croutons on top and added a dollop of creme fraiche to assemble the dish. The creme fraiche, not surprisingly, made the dish. Its sourness cut the sweetness of the soup, and made it a delicious dish on a cold, gray Sunday.