I love the thought of soup. I love the reality of soup. At a dinner party, a soup course means the evening is bound to be full of good things and well-thought out. It means your host likes you enough to dirty a round of soup bowls. This soup is velvety and mild. The salsa has little or no heat but it's loaded with flavor. It's a nice accent to the beans and potatoes. The cream is the sign that this is a holiday. Like many good dishes, this was born of leftovers. Some beans, some potatoes and some salsa....

We've been sampling Cellini runner beans at the farmers market and I always manage to save an extra cup or so for me to use at home. This morning I made an omelet and the filling was a few spoonfuls of the drained beans and a big handful of grated Vintage white cheddar cheese, from the Point Reyes Cheese Company. It was a winner.