Bean with Bacon Soup

Hi!  I want to tell you all about something amazing that happened to me!  My husband came home in a hurry to shower and leave again.  He needed something to eat, quick!  So I pulled out a package of bacon that we had thawed in the refrigerator.  It is wonderful, magical bacon, locally sequestered, but that is a whole other story.  Well, I opened the package and there were a few slices in there, enough for a sandwich, but the rest had accidentally (read miraculously) been neglected during the slicing process.  Who here doesn't love the idea of a side of unsliced smokey goodness just waiting for your creative hand to get to work?  I made the sandwich, with red peppers instead of tomatoes, BTW, which was a hit, then got down to the business of making a fantastic supper from this unexpected gift.  I knew right away to make a childhood favorite of mine.

                      Bean With Bacon Soup!!!

You can see that I chopped the hickory smoked bacon up into pretty 3/4 inch chunks.  I used about a half pound for 4 people.

magic

Next I set some gorgeous multicolored beans to boiling for a quick soak, because I'm impatient like that.  AREN'T THEY PRETTY?  These are from a generic brand ham and bean soup mix.  I used half the package. (about 8 oz) I sorted, rinsed and boiled these in about 5 cups of water.  When they had been boiling for 10 minutes, I turned off the water and let them sit for an hour.  If you do this, you should plan on rinsing them several times because some types of beans need to be rinsed, and there is quite a varied crowd here!

these are gorgeous... wouldn't they be cute as a fairy walkway or something?

Meanwhile I decided what vegetables to add.  I ended up using a half of a medium white onion, one large garlic clove, a half of a huge carrot, and one medium sized red potato.  Oh, and also a half of a celery stick and a bit of parsley.  I did end up adding a pinch of thyme and a bay leaf as well.  I chopped everything up fairly small, but the carrots and potatoes were 3/4 inch like the bacon.  See the onions and celery being minced?

chop, chop, chop

Next I got some other essentials ready for their debut.  Let me see if I have a snap shot. ...

not so natural ingredients

What?  Okay, I would normally not use condensed soup to make soup, but I had no tomato paste on hand.  Campbell's bean with bacon at my momma's house is what started this love affair anyway, so it is a nice touch.  TIP ALERT: This little jar of Better than Bouillon is some great stuff to keep on hand!  A little goes a very long way!

I used to work at a Thai restaurant, and the owner told me the more color on your plate, the healthier you are...and this is before the pretty beans! (Use a bowl, not a plate.)

Can you smell this?^  It is so so tantalizing!  At this point I have browned the bacon pieces alone in a stock pot, then added the vegetables and herbs all at once.  So easy, right?! See that great color on the bottom of the pot?  That's called flavor! Next, I poured in about 5 cups of water and the beans.  The milk is optional but don't add it yet if you choose it! If you don't use milk, add 2 more cups of water.  A person could whisk in the chicken stock paste (one Tbs will do!) before the liquid or after.  Let this simmer on low, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula or spoon.  I recently heard this about using a meat smoker: "If you're lookin', you ain't cookin'!"  and I think that is true for soup too. Keep the lid on that pot!  Any time you can add the tomato soup or if you used paste (use about 2-3 Tbs) then add that.  Let it go low and slow for at least two hours.

Add the two cups of milk shortly before serving if at all.  Why the milk, you ask?  Well, I always used milk in my canned bean with bacon when I was a kid. So, is it just for nostalgia's sake?  That's what makes things delicious sometimes.  Milk gives this dish an off putting color, which is why I did not post a picture.  It's orange and tends to separate.  Don't add the milk til last if you use any at all.  Substitute those two cups with water if you want.  It will be prettier for sure!  Also, hold back on the salt and pepper til the end or the beans may become tough from the salt.  TIP ALERT:  Check each type of bean for a pleasing buttery texture before declaring it to be dinner!  They are all different and the little white ones were the most stubborn here.  


P.S. My husband was delirious over this soup!  He just about licked the pot clean!  Brandon does not always love my soups because he is such a traditionalist.  This is a very traditional soup with style.  Oh. Yeah.