Great Fall Food

We've got the comfort food, now all we need are the cooler temps. As another tribute to Nick's love of beans, we've cooked up white bean and roasted garlic soup with a side of beer bread (the beer bread is not a tribute to a love for beer). It takes a little while to put together, but the end result is worth it. Plus, it makes a motherload of soup, so you'll have leftovers to freeze.

The soup:
2 cups Great Northern beans, picked over, soaked 8 hours (or overnight), drained & rinsed
8 cups (64 ounces) water
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
10 to 15 garlic cloves, separated but unpeeled
8 ounces potatoes (about one medium), peeled & coarsely chopped
1 pound onions (about 3 medium), peeled & coarsley chopped
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), scrubbed & coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

- Place first five ingredients in a 6-quart (or larger) pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil and simmer, with the lid cracked, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place garlic cloves in a small oven-proof dish, sprinkle with water, cover with foil, and roast at 350F for 30 minutes. Let cool; peel.
- Add potatoes, onions, and carrots to bean mixture, return to a boil, and simmer, with the lid cracked, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. (NOTE: You may think the soup is going to be too thick and that it needs more water. Don't worry about it. Lots of liquid will cook out of the vegetables. After simmering, remove bay leaf.
- Carefully puree the roasted garlic and 2/3 of soup mixture in blender (in batches) on low speed until still slightly chunky. Return to pot of remaining soup.
- Stir in parsley and simmer, with the lid cracked, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes, or until beans are completely tender. We found that a little Old Bay Seasoning added a nice kick to the final product.
The bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer

- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Even though I would have been satisfied eating only the bread for dinner, combining it with the soup was a perfect match.
More fall food and fun to come!