Sunday Soup #22: White Bean and Bacon Soup

This post is going to be a little different because, although the core of the recipe and inspiration came from the site below, Lisa and I made a lot of changes, including the cooking methods, so I'll reprint our recipe in full here (which is not usual for my entries, but is needed in this case).

This recipe came from: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-white-bean-amp-bacon-soup-recipes-from-the-kitchn-214866

*Pic 1 - http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-white-bean-amp-bacon-soup-recipes-from-the-kitchn-214866

My Variations from Recipe as Written: As I said, there were quite a few. Here was our ingredient list:

-1 pound dried small white beans 

-1 ham hock with bone, with a good bit of ham attached
-8 cups chicken broth
-7 slices bacon, diced
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 onion, diced
-1 red pepper, diced
-3 carrots, peeled and diced
-3 celery stalks, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-Salt and pepper, to taste
-3 ounces ham, diced (about 1/2 cup)
-4 stems thyme
-1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
-Fresh parsley, chopped (I used the partially dried, pre-chopped parsley from the produce aisle)

And here's what we did with it:

1. We had to soak the beans before we got started... You can cover them with water, add salt, and soak overnight, or you can use a pressure cooker (like we did) and flash soak them. We used an Instant Pot (which is a glorious invention for soup lovers, btw), poured in the beans, added two quarts of water, added a tablespoon of kosher salt, and fired it up. We flash soaked by setting the Instant Pot for "High Pressure," allowing it to reach pressure, cooking for three minutes there, and then allowing the pressure to bleed off naturally.

2. While the beans are flash soaking... In a large skillet, crisp the diced bacon.  Once the bacon starts to crisp and the fat is starting to render out, pour in the maple syrup and continue to cook until the bacon is nearly done.

3. Push the bacon to the side in the pan and add the diced onion, pepper, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute the veggies in the bacon fat until they are well-coated and just starting to soften.

4. When the beans are finished, remove them from the cooker, drain, and rinse, and then add the beans back to the pot.

5. Add the ham hock, chicken broth, bacon and sauteed veggie mixture (with whatever drippings are left in the pan), extra ham, stems of thyme, and about 1/2 tbsp of salt and 1/2 tbsp of pepper to the pressure cooker pot. We then just used the Instant Pot's "Soup" setting (with the touch of a single button!). On that setting, the pot comes to high pressure and cooks for 30 minutes. Once finished, allow it to release the pressure naturally (not via the valve).

6. Once at normal pressure, open the pot, cut the excess ham off the bone and remove the bone (and any gristle) from the soup.

7. Ladle out three big scoops of the soup (draining the broth from each ladle to focus on the beans) and puree that portion in the Vitamix.  Add the pureed mixture back to the soup and stir. (The idea here is to add some creaminess to the soup via the pureed beans.)

8. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley, stir and it is ready to EAT!

General Thoughts: I was pretty nervous about this one because we made so many alterations, not the least of which was using the pressure cooker to both soak the beans and cook the soup. But, it turned out GREAT!

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when we made it

Although the prep sounds a little cumbersome, it was actually fairly easy and straightforward. A little bit of dicing, some sauteing, flash soaking the beans, and that was about it for the prep work. But, for such little trouble, it was a big payoff.

The soup was so flavorful, hearty, and the perfect thing for a chilly winter night. The beans, ham, and veggies were all tender, the level of seasoning seemed just right, and everyone pushed away from the table satisfied.  It was the perfect mix of warm and savory, and with some scones to dip, it definitely hit the spot!

Polling the Fam: For me, it was one of my favorites I've made so far, and I'd definitely make it again following our same recipe above. Lisa really liked it, and said she couldn't even think of any obvious way to tweak or change it to make it any better. Becky liked it, Hunter liked it, Jayson liked it... It was a hit all around and left everyone full and happy. :-)

Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)