La Ribollita Tuscan Bean Soup Au Gratin

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a gallon stock pot, heat 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is warm, add in the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, leeks and pepper. Saute/fry for 2 min. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the ham hocks and saute/fry for 1 minute. Add in the beans, rosemary, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in the chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hrs or possibly till the beans are tender. Remove the ham hocks, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Using a hand held-blender, puree half of the bean mix. Pick the meat from the ham hock and return the meat to the bean mix. Season the beans with salt and pepper.
3. In a saute/fry pan, heat the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Add in the crushed garlic cloves and minced thyme and simmer for 1 minute to infuse the oil. Remove the pan from the heat and throw away the garlic cloves. Stir half of the extra virgin olive oil mix into the bean mix.
4. Line a fireproof tureen with the toasted bread slices. Sprinkle the bread with half of the cheese. Ladle the bean mix over the toasted bread. Cover the bean mix with the onion slices, the remaining infused extra virgin olive oil and cheese. Place the tureen in the oven and cook for 30 min. Remove from the oven and serve. Garnish with minced parsley.
5. This recipe yields about 8 servings.