Turkey-Bacon Bean Soup

Turkey-bacon Bean Soup.

Yesterday was certainly a good day for soup.  It was rainy, windy and very cold.  So I made this Bean Soup using a recipe from Cooking at Home with Dan Eaton.


                                                           Turkey-Bacon Bean Soup
SERVES: 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
• 6 slices turkey bacon, diced
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil for crisping bacon
• 1 cup peeled, diced carrot
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil for cooking vegetables
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 drained 15-ounce cans white beans (such as navy or great Northern)
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion or rough parsley (optional)
• black pepper to taste (and salt if needed)

PROCEDURE:
1. Cut all the vegetables you need before heading to the stove and then add a splash of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed soup pot and crisp up 6 diced slices of turkey bacon.
2. Take the crispy bacon out of the pan, add another splash of vegetable oil to the pot and add about 1 cup diced, peeled carrot, about 1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup diced celery, 2 minced cloves of garlic and add a sprinkling of dried thyme.

Diced carrots, onions and celery.

Diced turkey bacon.

3. While you're keeping your eye on the vegetables and stirring them around occasionally, take a minute to drain three 15-ounce cans of navy beans.

Navy Beans.

Drain three cans of white beans.

4. Once the onions are translucent, add 4 cups chicken broth and add the drained white beans, stir those in, and bring it up to a simmer.

Add chicken stock.

5. Then adjust the heat on that so it's gently simmering along for 10 - 15 minutes.
6. At that point you could use a potato masher to gently mash the beans up a little bit, or use a hand blender to give it a somewhat smooth, somewhat chunky consistency.

Fold in bacon.

7. Then fold in the crispy bacon and an optional handful of chopped green onion and season it to taste with a little salt if it needs it and a good crack of black pepper and it's good to go.

Fold in green onions.

Ready to eat.

This was most welcome on a cold day like yesterday. 

It's Soup Weather

Senate White Bean Soup.

Fall brings these cool, cloudy days like the one we are having today.  That just reminds me that it's time to make some soup.  Senate Bean Soup is a favorite at our house and that's what I made today. This soup dates back to the early 20th century according to Wikipedia. "U.S. Senate Bean Soup or simply Senate bean soup is a soup made with navy beans, ham hocks, and sometimes mashed potatoes. It is served in the dining room of the United States Senate every day, in a tradition that dates to the early 20th century". (Well, I wonder if it is served during the government shutdown.  Are the cooks on furlough????)

I use a slightly different recipe omitting the mashed potatoes and adding carrots, celery, a potato, onions and garlic.  
 

Senate Bean Soup

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over for stones

12 cups water

1 ham hock

1 bay leaf

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup shopped carrot

1 potato, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Soak beans in a large bowl.  Cover beans with water and soak for 8-10 hours (overnight) and drain.

Alternatively, place beans in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and tightly cover pan with plastic wrap. Let beans sit for an hour.

Beans and ham hock in Dutch oven.

Stir in 12 cups of water.

In a large heavy pot, combine beans with ham hock, bay leaf (I didn't have a bay leaf today, but I usually do have.) and 12 cups of water. Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are just tender.

Add onions and garlic.

Add potato, celery, and carrots.

Stir in onion, celery, carrot, potato and garlic. Simmer for another hour or until soup is

very  thick. Remove ham hock and strip meat from bone, discarding the rind and fat. I usually puree about 2 cups of the soup and add it back to the pot.  Stir meat into soup and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley (Optional)  Serve hot.  

Ready to eat on a cool, cloudy, rainy day.

This soup is perfect for a cloudy and chilly day like today.  And it freezes well. We enjoyed this for supper tonight, and  I have enough for a couple more meals.