Leek And Lima Bean Soup With Bacon Food

LIMA BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add lima beans and boil for 5 - 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover. Let beans soak for 2 - 2.5 hours. Drain and rinse beans; return to pot.
• In a large pan, heat olive oil and saute all the vegetables until carrots and celery are tender-crisp.
• Add 8 cups of chicken broth to the beans in the pot. Add the vegetables. Stir to combine and simmer on low for 1.5 hours; stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

LEEK & BUTTER BEAN SOUP WITH CRISPY KALE & BACON

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the leeks, thyme and seasoning. Cover and cook for 15 mins until softened, adding a splash of water if the leeks start to stick. Add the butter beans with the water from the cans, the stock and mustard. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 mins until hot. Blend the soup in a food processor or with a stick blender, stir through the parsley and check the seasoning.
• Put the bacon in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 3-4 mins until crispy, then set side to cool. Add the remaining 1 tsp oil to the pan, and tip in the kale and hazelnuts. Cook for 2 mins, stirring until the kale is wilted and crisping at the edges and the hazelnuts are toasted. Cut the bacon into small pieces, then stir into the kale mixture.
• Reheat the soup, adding a splash of water if it is too thick. Serve in bowls sprinkled with the bacon & kale mixture.

LIMA BEAN SOUP WITH PARMESAN BACON CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, cook onion in butter and oil over medium heat until translucent about 10 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook another 5 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, place lima beans in boiling water and cook until very soft about 10 minutes. Drain lima beans and add to the pot with the sliced apple. Pour in the chicken broth. Lower heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Then puree with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• For the Parmesan Bacon Crisp: Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Make 4 to 5 lines with the Parmesan, about 1-inch wide and 4-inches long. Sprinkle with bacon. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel crisp from foil and serve with soup.
• Cook's Note: For additional flavor, add an additional 1/2 cup of Parmesan and 1/4 cup bacon to the soup before pureeing. Also a dollop of sour cream adds a creamy finish to this healthy soup.
• This recipe was provided by a finalist, who may or may not be a professional cook, for The Next Food Network Star. Food Network has not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

CREAMY LEEK & BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan, add the leeks and cook on a low-medium heat for 5 mins. Pour in the bouillon, tip in the beans, cover and simmer for 10 mins.
• Stir in the garlic and spinach, cover the pan and cook for 5 mins more until the spinach has wilted but still retains its fresh green colour.
• Add the milk and plenty of pepper, and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls and chill the remainder.

LEEK, BACON & POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large pan, then fry the bacon and onion, stirring until they start to turn golden. Tip in the leeks and potatoes, stir well, then cover and turn down the heat. Cook gently for 5 mins, shaking the pan every now and then to make sure that the mixture doesn't catch.
• Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 20 mins until the vegetables are soft. Leave to cool for a few mins, then blend in a food processor in batches until smooth. Return to the pan, pour in the cream and stir well. Taste and season if necessary. Serve scattered with tasty crisp bacon and eat with toasted or warm crusty bread on the side.

CREAMY LIMA BEAN SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• In a skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning it, until it is crisp, transfer it to paper towels to drain, and crumble it. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the fat to a heavy saucepan and in it cook the onion over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened. Add the broth, 1 cup water, and the lima beans, simmer the mixture for 8 minutes, or until the beans are tender, and season it with salt and pepper. In a food processor purée the soup, return it to the pan, and heat it over moderate heat until it is hot. Ladle the soup into 2 bowls and sprinkle the scallion green and the bacon over it.

BUTTER BEAN AND LEEK SOUP (LIMA BEANS)

Steps:

• Pick over beans wash and soak overnight.
• Chop onion and dice the carrot.
• Melt the butter and oil together and saute the onion until transparent.
• Drain the beans and add to the pot with the measured water and all the remaining ingredients except the parsley.
• simmer for about an hour until beans are soft and adjust the seasoning.
• sprinkle with parsley and enjoy.

LEEK & BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan, then fry the leeks and bacon over a medium heat for 5 mins, until the bacon is crisp and the leeks have started to soften. Pour in the stock and stir in the rosemary with some seasoning. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins.
• Tip in the pasta of your choice and continue to cook for about 10 mins until the pasta is 'al dente'. Serve with warm, toasted ciabatta.

CABBAGE, LEEK, BEAN, AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Soak all beans over night or 8 hours in water. Drain, rinse, and set aside until needed.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut top off of bulb of garlic so that all tops of cloves are exposed. Place bulb in foil or in small ramekin. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil on top of garlic. Salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast until tops are slightly browned - about 20-30 minutes. When roasted, set aside to cool.
• While garlic is cooling, coat bottom of stockpot with remainder of olive oil. Heat olive oil Medium. Place onion in stockpot and salt. Sweat onion while halving and slicing leek. Place leek in stockpot and stir. Add bacon to stockpot. Squeeze roasted garlic out of bulb and into stockpot and stir, smashing the cloves as you go. Salt and pepper and sautee until leeks and onions are soft and bacon is just about to start browning. You don't want the bacon raw and you don't want it browned - get it somewhere in between.
• As the above mixture is sauteeing, shred cabbage. Add cabbage and stir until all is coated with oil and bacon grease.
• Stir in water and chicken stock and set stove temp to Medium High. Add bean mixture and rice and bring soup to a boil.
• Boil until beans and rice are tender. Skim any bubbles off of the top of the soup throughout cook time. Serve when satisfied with all the textures in the soup.

PUMPKIN (SQUASH), LEEK, BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a dutch oven or large, deep saucepan that can hold all the ingredients.
• Lightly fry the chopped bacon. Remove and set aside. If the bacon has released a lot of fat, drain off as much as you wish.
• Reheat the remaining oil/bacon fat. Add sliced leek and onion and crushed garlic, and saute until tender.
• Add chopped pumpkin and saute for five minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add stock, beans, bacon, tarragon, thyme and chili flakes.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin is fork tender.
• Add 1/4 cup parsley.
• Zap the cooked mixture with a stab blender or buzz up in a food processor. Or crush with a potato masher. The choice depends on your consistency preferences.
• Stir in cream (if used), and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and additional parsley or coriander (cilantro).