It’s cold. Really cold. The holiday rush is over, the decorations are stored away and I want to cocoon. When cold winds howl, who doesn’t want to stay in and keep warm? On some nights, for me, that means cooking from what I have on hand and not running to the grocery store. Do you ever feel that way?
Even though its super cold, I am excited about the New Year, for our new book, The Newlywed Cookbook, Cooking Happily Ever After is now on store shelves. (Roxanne announced it and popped the Champagne last week!) We are thrilled and are looking forward to cooking recipes from the book, teaching classes and sharing tips that help newlywed couples start a lifetime of great cooking. What to register for and how to use those items, plus recipes for quick dinners to special dishes that create wonderful meals together and build lifelong memories.
Back to the cold today, and on winter days like today, I turn to recipes that I can make with ingredients I have on hand. For me, I usually have onions, carrots, celery and bacon in the refrigerator and beans and chicken broth on the pantry shelf. Voilà! Bean and Bacon Soup is a warm, comforting dinner! It is easy to prepare, simmers in just about 30 minutes and is perfect when cold winds blow.
Ladle up a bowl and enjoy a warm dinner tonight.
Bean and Bacon Soup
1 pound bacon, cut crosswise into thin pieces about 1/4 inch thick
1 large onion, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 cartons (32 ounces each) unsalted chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 bay leaf
4 to 5 drops hot pepper sauce, or to taste
2 cans (16 ounces each) reduced sodium Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until bacon is well browned and crisp. Remove and place on paper towel lined plate to drain. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.
Return 1 tablespoon drippings to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently 4 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and hot pepper sauce. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in bacon and cook just until heated. Sprinkle with parsley.
Makes 6 servings
Tips:
Bacon, even if crisply cooked, with soften slightly if stored overnight in the soup. To make ahead, cook bacon and soup, through the beans, as directed. Place the cooked bacon in a zip-top bag and refrigerate, and cover and refrigerate the soup. Heat the soup, then stir in the bacon just before serving. Allow the bacon to heat and the soup will taste fresh and the bacon will be crisp.
Remember, when you season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, you will be adding bacon and the bacon is salty. I find it best to salt the soup very lightly with salt, but generously with pepper. Then, taste the soup after you have stirred in the bacon and add additional salt to taste.
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