1. First prepare the beans, which must be cooked separately. When the beans are cooked, set them aside. If using canned beans, rinse, drain and set aside. Then prepare the soffritto: dice the carrot and celery, chop the onion and set aside.
2.Next, in a large soup pot, sauté over medium heat in 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the garlic cloves (peeled and left whole), the rosemary sprig and the sage leaves. When the garlic is golden brown (2-3 minutes), remove it from the soup pot; remove the sage and rosemary too. TRICK: tilt the pot a bit so that the garlic and herbs are drowned in the oil. Keep the oil directly on the heat. This will allow you to cook them more quickly and evenly.
3.Now add the reserved chopped onion, carrot and celery . Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, and the onions turn translucent.(soffritto) Italian for lightly fried.
4.Then add the beans, mix and let simmer until flavors have combined.
