Bean soup

Dried beans are very nutritious, economical, tasty, and can easily fit into your schedule. There are many ways to cook them, including in a pressure cooker, a crock pot, or on top of the stove. Make sure you purchase dried beans from a store with a fast turnover. If the beans are too old they sometimes remain hard even after several hours of cooking. Also, do not add salt or acid ingredients to the beans until they are tender. These ingredients also impede the softening of the beans.

If I plan to cook a lot of beans ahead for a salad or for freezing I like to use the crockpot. For this method just pick over the dried beans, wash them, and then soak them overnight. In the morning drain off the soaking water and then place them in the crock pot and add water to cover by about 2" above the dried beans. Cook on low for about five hours and then check to see if the beans are tender. If not, cook a while longer.

When I am making bean soup, here is the method I like to use:

Pick over the dried beans and then wash them. Place in a large pot and then cover with water by a couple of inches. Let soak overnight. In the morning drain off this water and add fresh. Bring the beans to a boil and simmer for about two minutes. Cover the pot and let sit for a few hours. (I let them sit while I am at work.) When you return in the late afternoon drain the beans and add fresh water. (You can also add ham broth or drippings if you have any available.) Simmer the beans gently until they are tender. Normally I find this takes less than an hour.

Here's the recipe for the bean soup:

1 lb. great northern beans
1 medium onion (sliced or diced)
2 stalks celery, sliced (with the leaves)
ham broth if available
1-2 cups diced ham
2 potatoes, diced
2-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pinch Italian seasoning
1/4 cup catsup
black pepper

Cook the beans until tender. In the final cooking you can add the ham broth if you have any. (If not, use water or vegetable stock or even chicken broth.) For a pound of beans I would add 6-8 cups of liquid. It depends how "soupy" you like your soup. Add the potatoes and carrots to the beans and continue simmering them.

In a skillet saute the onion, celery, and diced ham in a small amount of oil until the vegetables are wilted. Add these vegetables to the beans.

Simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Add the catsup (the secret ingredient!) and season with black pepper and salt, if needed. The ham and ham broth are often pretty salty, so you may find that you don't need much salt.

Here are the beans, potatoes, and carrots simmering together:

Here are the onions, celery, and ham being sauteed:

Years ago I read a tip about adding a bit of catsup to bean soup to improve the flavor. I was a bit skeptical since I'm normally not a big catsup fan, but it really does perk up the flavor and adds just a hint of tomato taste and color to the soup. The herbs also add a bit of zip.

If you want to freeze part of your soup take out the part you want to freeze before adding the potatoes. Potatoes generally do not freeze well. It's best to add them to the soup right before cooking. You can also add leftover mashed potatoes or some instant potato flakes to this soup as a thickener.

Enjoy your delicious bean soup!

Becka

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