Soups

Bean soup: 2 T Butter, divided 4 carrots. 2 + 2 (or more if you like lots of veggies in your soup) 4 celery ribs 2 + 2 (or more if you like lots of veggies in your soup) 1 small onion 2 garlic cloves 3 cans northern beans (or any white bean you like) 1 + 2, rinsed 3 cups ham stock (see recipe below - or store bought) 3 cups chicken stock (home made or store bought) 1 C diced ham (not what was used to make stock - it will be flavorless) 1 t (or more to taste ) Sambal Oelek or Sriricha sauce salt and pepper to taste garnish with fresh parsley if desired Roughly chop and sauté in a stock pot the onion, garlic, 2 of the carrots, and 2 of celery ribs in 1 T melted butter and 1/2 t. salt until onions are transparent and other veggies begin to soften. Add the chicken stock and 1 can of beans. Cover and cook on low about an hour and vegetables are very tender. Remove from heat and cool enough to work with. Then using an immersion blender (easier and less clean up) or food processor, puree the mixture. This makes a nice thick soup. If using a food processor, return mixture to stock pot. Add the remaining beans and ham stock, cook uncovered over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can cook it longer here if you want to cook it down a bit for richer flavor and a thicker soup. While this cooks, chop the remaining carrots and celery to the size you would like to eat in your soup. Add the second tablespoon of butter to a pan and sauté the remaining vegetables with a little salt until crisp-tender. Add these to the pureed mix. Add the diced ham and hot sauce, heat through. (Adding the veggies and ham after cooking the soup keeps them more flavorful). Season to taste. Salt needed will depend greatly on how salty your stock and added ham are. I use about 1 t. of pepper. I made both of these in an Insta-pot which worked out great with very little clean up. Ham stock: (chicken stock is the same but with chicken bones) 1 ham bone with meat scraps left on (if you don’t have leftovers, use a package of ham hocks) 6 C water 1 bay leaf 2 or 3 sprig thyme Any left over veggies (i keep a bag of scraps in the freezer) Be sure to add at least carrot, celery and onion. Cook everything a really long time, at least 4 hours. The longer it cooks, the more flavorful. Discard solids. Let the broth cool then refrigerate overnight. The fat will be on top and hardened; skim off the fat and package the remaining stock for freezing or use to make soup. Hope you enjoy! I serve this with corn muffins made from Jiffy mix with added jalapeño and corn. John and Susan Winkler