Tomato & White Bean Soup

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lg onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• Kosher salt
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 lbs tomatoes, chopped
• 30oz white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 qt chicken broth
• 1 sprig rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, 3 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add all but 1/2 cup of the chopped tomatoes, the beans, broth, 1 cup water, the rosemary sprig, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes.

Discard the rosemary sprig. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt. Return to the pot and cover to keep warm.

Top each bowl of soup with croutons, reserved 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes; drizzle with olive oil as desired

Pork & Tomatillo Chili

• 1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed 
• 2 plum tomatoes 
• 1/4 c vegetable oil 
• 4 poblano chile peppers 
• 2 jalapeno peppers 
• 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces 
• 2 tbsp chili powder 
• 2 tbsp ground cumin 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp cornmeal 
• 4 c low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the broiler. Toss the tomatillos and tomatoes with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on a baking sheet and push to one side. Put the poblanos and jalapenos on the other side of the baking sheet. Broil, turning the vegetables occasionally, until charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatillos and tomatoes to a cutting board and let cool. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate; set aside 10 minutes. Pull the skins off the tomatoes, then core and chop them along with the tomatillos. Peel, seed and chop the peppers; set all the vegetables aside.
Toss the pork with the chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Working in batches, add the pork to the pot and cook, turning, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, the onion and garlic to the pot; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the cornmeal and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the broiled tomatillos, tomatoes and peppers. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the broth and pork and any collected juices, then bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover, season generously with salt and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 30 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand about 10 minutes; spoon off any excess fat from the top. Season the chili with salt and pepper and serve.