White Bean & Black Olive Soup

Another from the Moosewood Cookbook. It sounds odd...yet delicious! I look forward to trying and will post a picture when I have.

Precook your white beans by cooking 1 cup white beans in plenty of simmering (not rapidly boiling) water until tender, about 1 ¼ hours.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 heaping cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 ½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Oregano or marjoram
1 ½ tsp. Basil
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small bell pepper, chopped
3 – 4 medium gloves garlic, crushed
4 cups water
3 oz. Tomato paste
¼ dry red wine (optional)
2 cups cooked white beans
1 cup sliced black olives
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and herbs. Saute over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.

Add zucchini, bell pepper and garlic. Saute 5 minutes more. Combine water and tomato paste. Add to vegetables, along with remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Serve hot, topped with chopped parsley and diced tomato