One thing we like to eat a lot of in the winter is soup. I am not a huge fan of tinned soup. In all truth I just don't think many of them taste very good, with the exception of a good quality tomato soup. I quite like that, but the rest of them do nothing for me. I prefer homemade soups most of the time.
This Bean & Bacon Soup is one of our favourites. I always have what I need in the store cupboard to make it and it goes together very easily. I always have an assortment of tinned beans in the larder. This soup takes haricot beans, or great northern beans as I believe they are called in North America.
Carrots, onions, celery . . . I also always have them in my larder . . . chicken stock (same thing) and tomato passatta (tomato sauce) . . . those things are also always in my larder.
Streaky smoked bacon is also used. I didn't have any today so I used bacon medallions, which are like Canadian bacon and they worked fine. In fact they are quite lean and so I had to use some cooking spray to cook my vegetables which made it a tiny bit healthier I guess, or at any rate it reduced the fat content somewhat.
Simple to make, hearty and delicious. I don't know what else a person could ask for than this!
*Bean & Bacon Soup*
Serves 41 bay leaf
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
240ml tomato passatta (1 cup tomato sauce)finely chopped parsley to garnish (optional)
Cook the bacon in a soup pot or dutch oven until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to some paper kitchen towelling to drain. Discard all but 2 TBS of the bacon fat. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until they are beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in the chicken broth and drained beans. Add the bay leaf and mixed herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil,then reduce to a slow simmer and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes. Remove the bayleaf and discard. Remove half of the soup to a blender and puree. Return it to the soup pot along with the tomato passatta (sauce) and 3/4 of the bacon. Simmer for a further 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish the top of each serving with some of the remaining bacon and a bit of parsley if desired.
I enjoyed mine with some crisp crackers I've been hoarding (coz I love soup and crackers) and Todd enjoyed his with a soft roll. We were both very happy. Hot soup on a cold day. Now that's comfort. Bon Appetit!
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