Strike, Snow, 500 Calories, and Soup

Belgium is on strike today - no trains, no metro, no school, no mail (although our mail carrier, who must be a rebel, just delivered to our box - unfortunately it was a pile of bills)...Except for my husband who had to get up early and drive the car to Brussels instead of taking the train as usual, we all slept in.  What a luxury on a Monday morning!  And when I woke up and finally came downstairs and pulled up the shutters - what a surprise - it is snowing!  There is a very light dusting on the sidewalks out front and the patio out back.  I was debating about waking up my boys to tell them about the snow, but decided that my three teenagers would probably rather sleep in.  So I am enjoying the quiet all by myself.

Yesterday it was so cold and gray out but I have been so lax about my running over the past few weeks that there was no way I was going to skip my run.  So I decided to go to the gym where I could get nice and sweaty without all those layers.  My goal was simple - run until the treadmill told me I had burned 500 calories!  I've definitely gotten slower - it took me 52 minutes and 7.6 kilometers to do it, including three short walk breaks.  But it felt good - as it always does.

It is still snowing so perhaps I will brave the cold today and go for a short run in the snow before it all melts away.  And then I am going to get a pot of this soup going on my stove:  pasta e fagioli, which has become one of my favorites for the winter - it is so yummy and comforting and warming....mmmmm! This is my simple version, based on Mark Bittman's recipe.

1 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 t. dried rosemary

1/2 t. dried oregano or summer savory if you have it

1/4 t. dried thyme

2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I like to use cannelini and borlotti beans)

8 cups of vegetable broth

1/4 pound of small pasta

salt and pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat in a soup pot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, herbs and beans and continue to sauté until everything is warm. Add broth and bring to a gentle boil, then let simmer for about ten minutes. Finally add the pasta, simmer until the pasta is al denté, about another 10 to 15 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some good rustic bread to sop up the juices and enjoy!