I Love Soup

I particularly love bean soups.  My last soup was a mix of beans, lentils, and peas.  This time I went with a more conventional navy bean soup.  As usual, what I had in the fridge and the pantry determined what went in the soup.

1 lb dry navy beans (approximately 2 cups)

½ lb back bacon left over from the last soup, diced.  You can use ham or bacon.

2 qts fat-free, low sodium chicken stock (or reduced sodium vegetable stock)

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup grated carrot

⅔ cup mashed potato flakes (I used a 2 oz package of Idahoan Original.)

1 bay leaf

½ tsp basil

1 tsp nutmeg

sea salt to taste

black pepper to taste

Put the beans in a large pot and cover with 2 to 3 qts of water.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for an hour.  Drain and rinse.

Put the beans, ham, and stock into a large pot.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes.

Put the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in a microwavable container that has a loose-fitting lid along with a couple of tablespoons of water.  Nuke at 50% power for a few minutes at a time until softened.  Add a little extra water if necessary.  Alternatively you can soften them in oil in a skillet.

Stir the vegetables and remaining ingredients into the soup and continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until the beans are soft.

Some navy bean recipes use mashed potatoes as a thickener.  Two problems with this are that you have to make mashed potatoes and mashed potatoes give the soup a mealy texture.  Instant mashed potatoes work great without the mealiness.  If you prefer to save a little money and use potatoes here’s a tip I learned accidentally.  When the soup is done allow it to cool.  Freeze it and then thaw it.  Evidently the freezing ruptures the potato cell walls that the cooking didn’t and the texture is much smoother.  Of course, this takes longer.

For those of you who steer clear of beans because of gastric distress, there’s hope.  You can try Beano but it’s not exactly cheap and I never found it to be that effective.  The best remedy is to make legumes a regular part of your diet.  After all, they are high in fiber and protein, low in fat, taste great, and can be used in a variety of ways.  Start with small amounts of the easier-to-digest kinds like limas, lentils, and split peas and gradually increase the amounts and work up to beans.  The microbes in your gut will adjust to handle them.

Comments

[Margaret]

Sounds delicious! I love bean soups. However, I don't have the luxury of adjusting my body to them and until I can retire from classroom teaching, I'll need to get my fiber some other way. *wink*

[Kathryn]

Woah, wait, what?! You've re-entered the blogosphere?! Where have I been? Why didn't anyone tell me? So glad you're back!

[liz]

If you added some text about your time in the Navy and a picture of the soup...you'd be a food blogger!

P.S. I have silverplated soup spoons with USN engraved on them...they won't nest because they are a little bent up.

[Carla]

So happy you're back!!! How are Champ & Psycho & the girls?