I adore our country's famous Senate bean soup -- chocked full of navy beans, shards of meat from ham hocks or shanks, onion and celery. Everything from its rich history to is smokey flavor and creamy texture is perfection -- I've even had the pleasure of eating in the Senate dining room in Washington, D.C. That said, I have vegetarian friends -- not many, but, they enjoy making their presence known in my kitchen. When they do, I'm happy to go meatless for a few hours. Yesterday was one such afternoon. A pot of this relatively-easy-to-make vegetarian version of my senate bean soup, a rustic loaf of whole-grain bread with a big wedge of herbed-brie, and, of course, a bottle of white wine. It was a lovely way to fritter away a snowy afternoon.
I won't lie, I'm not a snob when it comes to canned beans. They're a time-saving convenience. My pantry contains a nice variety of beans, both dried and canned. Like all conveniences, pound for pound, canned beans are more expensive than dried ones, but they hardly fall into the category of "pricey". There's more: Both canned and dried are healthy. There is little nutritional difference between canned and dried beans (about the same amount of fiber, protein and calories), except for sodium content: canned = 450 mg./dried = 0 mg.
Note: 1 pound of dried beans (depending upon type and size), yields approximately 2 1/3-2 1/2 cups dried beans. 1 pound of dried beans after soaking overnight (depending upon type and size), yields approximately 5-5 1/2 cups of soaked beans -- when soaked, beans double in size. For "how to" instructions read my post ~ Quick-Soaking Dried Beans vs. Overnight Soaking ~.
Everybody into the pot: One-Step Vegetarian Bean Soup.
1 1/2 quarts homemade vegetable stock, or, Kitchen Basics unsalted vegetable stock (6 cups)
3 40-ounce cans great northern beans, undrained (each 40-ounce can of beans contains about 1 1/2 cups of liquid and 4 cups pre-cooked, via the canning process, cooked-in-the-can-beans)
1 tablespoon minced garlic, or, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups peeled and small-diced carrots
2 cups small-diced celery
2 cups small-diced onion
4 cups peeled and small-diced gold potatoes
1 cup, minced, fresh parsley
4 whole bay leaves
4 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons coarsely-ground or cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
~Step 1. Prep and place all ingredients in an 8-quart stockpot. Using a large spoon, give it a thorough stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Adjust heat to a gentle but steady simmer, partially cover the stockpot and continue to simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stopping to stir every 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat off. Cover the pot and set aside to steep for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or overnight, for flavors to marry.
Simple, Straightforward & Scrumptious. Serve:
Well-Seasoned Vegetarian Vegetable & Soup: Recipe yields 6 quarts.
Special Equipment List: cutting board; chef's knife; vegetable peeler; 8-quart stockpot w/lid
Cook's Note: While any bean soup is comfort food at its best on a cold Winter's day, some of my fondest memories are of eating it (out of a styrofoam cup with a plastic spoon) in the Summer at church picnics, backyard barbecues, block parties, family reunions and my father's workplace's annual company clambake. My mom's recipe for, ~ A Hearty Fifteen-Bean Ham & Vegetable Soup ~, made from dried beans, is worth the extra effort.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)
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