Houstonist Cooks: Bean Soup

Another cold front is breezing through H-town today, and it is causing us to have visions of hearty bean soup. We make ours with bunches of ham, because that's how we like it. However, we'll give you the very veggie option, if you are not so omnivorous. This soup is quite good the first day, but, we prefer to make it a day or two ahead of time and let all of the flavors marry and the starch from the beans break down and thicken it. This is simple, inexepensive and freezes well - so, make a nice large batch and freeze some for later.

Bean Soup

1 lb dried white beans (we prefer navy, but, you can use any white bean, even limas)
1 lb ham (you can subsitute turkey ham and cut some fat/calories)
32 oz of stock (chicken for meatatarians, or veggie - we use organic, free range, low sodium and fat chicken broth)
2-3 carrots, scraped
3 ribs celery
1 medium onion
1 medium bell pepper
3-4 cloves garlic
water
olive oil
2 teaspoons each, thyme, mexican oregano, white pepper and poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon each cayenne, black pepper, (cumin is optional, we like it)

Pick through beans for "detritus" and discard anything that doesn't look like a normal bean, rinse well and drain. Clean and dice the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper and garlic (you can press the garlic, if you prefer - or use a heaping tablespoon of pre-minced). In a large dutch oven, preheat a good turn of olive oil and add the vegetables to begin sweating them down, stirring occasionally. While this is going on, dice the ham into bite sized pieces. Once the vegetables are soft, which should take about 5 minutes, add the stock, ham and beans. Add water to cover and bring to a soft boil, skimming all of the foam off of the top before reducing to a simmer. Add seasonings, cover and simmer over low heat for about two hours, until the beans are softened. Taste for seasoning and adjust (this is when we add any salt, if needed).

Veggie variation: Use a good vegetable stock and, once the beans are soft, add additional carrots, parsnips, broccoli, diced butternut, chayote or acorn squash - any "sturdy" vegetable you like that's in season. Just prior to serving, add chopped swiss chard or baby spinach until wilted.

Serve with crusty bread and a nice big salad!

Once we "tire" of the standard soup, we convert ours into a frugal "cassoulet" of sorts by adding smoked sausage, sliced into bite sized pieces. This stretches out our meals and keeps it "on the cheap".

Note: You can alter the spices to fit your herb garden, tarragon, basil, sage and rosemary are great in this application - our measurements are for dried herbs, when using fresh, start small and build to suit your taste. If you like the heat, toss in a chili piquin (or two) or add some minced fresh habanero. Soups are pretty forgiving, use some imagination to personalize this one!