Help please! I am a nubie to this fine group ..... Navy bean soup?

[Botany]

I can make really good black bean soup but it has been awhile and I was going to make some
Navy Bean w/ ham soup for a party tomorrow ..... any good ideas and or recipes would be
helpful. Carrots y or n? Celery y or n? Ham bone or ham hocks?

[Warpy]

1. I've never used meat in mine

I've cooked the beans with loads of garlic and a bay leaf, then sauteeed onions, carrots and peppers together to add to the soup about 20 minutes before it's ready to serve. I serve it with condiments like chopped tomato, grated cheese, and herbs.

Nobody has ever missed the meat.

However, if you are doing the New England variety, I'd suggest ham hocks. Oh, and carrots toward the end so they don't cook to mush.

[wryter2000]

2. Are you going to use a soup stock or broth?

If you're using water, you'll need lots of flavor from somewhere else. I think you'll probably want onion.

You might want to start out with a pestata a la Lidia Bastianich. Onion, carrot, celerey, garlic, maybe bacon, or your choice of things. Grind it fairly fine in the food processor, then brown it in lightly the soup pan. Make a hot spot for a bit of tomato paste and cook that for a while before you add the rest of the ingredients for the soup. The vegies melt into the soup that way, and the tomato paste gives color and flavor. You won't notice them per se in the soup, but they'll add a lot of flavor.

[kestrel91316]

3. My soup recipes are all kind of fungible, but yes, carrots and onions and celery

are all nice in a navy bean soup, as are a can of diced tomatoes and some BACON.

[Tesha]

4. Soup hardly ever has a set recipe here..

we're just like kestrel - the theory is when you have soup ingredients, you make soup...

I know this is a famous recipe...

U.S. SENATE BEAN SOUP
Soak 1 pound white beans overnight in cold water to cover. Drain and put the beans in a soup kettle with a ham bone that still has some meat on it. Add 3 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir in 1 cup cooked mashed potatoes. Add 3 onions, 1 small bunch of celery, including tops, and 2 cloves of garlic, all finely chopped, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Simmer the soup for 1 hour longer, until the beans are thoroughly cooked. Remove the ham bone, dice the meat on it, and return the meat to the soup.

[Botany]

11. Thank You!

I will try that recipe ...... mashed potatoes in soup I'll give it a shot.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I hope you get a recipe, but around here there seem to be more "conceptual cooks" .......

..... and lots of culinary flexibility.

Bean soup wants celery and carrots. Not a lot, but some. More to infuse than influence.

I also would use the hocks and then add back the meat when the hocks are all cooked out. To be honest, I'd use a country ham hock for the bigger flavor.

[NMDemDist2]

6. ROFL

"conceptual cooks" ............ and lots of culinary flexibility.


:evilgrin:

is that what you call it??? :rofl:

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Happy New Year, Sweetie!

To you and Mr. K!

[NMDemDist2]

9. and to you and Sparkly

:hug:

[Fire1]

8. The soup in the pic is rather thin and watery. I use a ham

bone in all my soups for best results. I don't use carrots, either. Celery?? No way! Chopped onions, absolutely.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. If you are looking for an actual recipe, this one looks really good.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Navy-Bean-Soup-I/Detail.aspx

I generally make soups with what I have on hand, but this one looks like it could be a good start with plenty of opportunities for substitutions and additions to make it your own.

[Botany]

12. Thank You!

I already started the recipe up thread but that one looks good too. Although I will add the ground black pepper & bay leaf to my pot today ....
if you are in Ohio come on by ..... :rofl: