Bacon Potato White Bean And Red Pepper Soup Food

BEAN, BACON AND PEPPER SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the bacon until crisp. Drain the fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pot. Crumble the bacon, reserving for later for garnish. Add the onions, carrots, red bell pepper, celery and garlic to the pot and saute in the bacon fat for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the sugar, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Now pour in just a small amount of chicken stock to deglaze the pan. (Note: This removes all of the caramelized particles from the bottom of the pan.)
• Add the beans and the rest of the stock and continue to cook over medium high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
• In a food processor or blender, puree 3 cups of soup at a time, adjusting seasoning if necessary. Return all pureed soup to the pot, stir in the parsley and crumbled bacon and simmer for 10 more minutes.

BACON, POTATO, WHITE BEAN AND RED PEPPER SOUP

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large saucepan and cover with water. Simmer over moderately high heat for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry the bacon on paper towels. Wipe out saucepan and return the bacon to pan. Fry over medium high heat until golden and crisp about 4 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towel, discard all the fat from pan and wipe out with paper towels. Reserve bacon on the side.
• Add butter to pan and reduce heat to moderate heat. Add vegetables and saute until soft. Add broth and simmer until potatoes are soft and start breaking down. Simmer for 45 minutes and serve with crumbled bacon on top.

BACON BEAN AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• The night before, place the beans in a large bowl and add enough cool water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Let the beans soak in the refrigerator over night.
• The next day, cut the bacon into one-inch pieces. Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and pour off most of the grease, leaving a tablespoon or two in the pot.
• While the bacon is cooking, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Peel and slice the carrots, and slice the celery. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in the leftover bacon grease over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about five minutes). Use the moisture from the vegetables to help dissolve the browned bits of bacon from the bottom of the pot.
• While the vegetables are sautéing, peel the potatoes then cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Drain the soaked beans in a colander and rinse them briefly.
• Add the cubed potatoes, rinsed beans, and chicken broth to the pot. Cover the pot and bring it up to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and let the pot boil gently for one hour, or until the beans and potatoes are very soft.
• Use an immersion blender to purée about half of the soup, leaving some beans and vegetables whole. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove half of the soup from the pot, let it cool slightly, then use a blender or food processor to carefully purée the warm soup. Return the puréed soup to the pot and stir to combine with the rest.
• Add the tomato sauce and reserved bacon to the soup. Stir and heat until warm. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.

WHITE BEAN AND CANADIAN BACON SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, carrot, and celery in the hot oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, white beans, and bacon. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Serve topped with pesto.