Mediterranean Bean And Bacon Soup Food

BEAN WITH BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Pick through the beans, then rinse and drain them. Put them in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak overnight.
• Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add the chicken stock and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• While the beans are simmering, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add half the bacon to the beans, reserving the rest for garnish.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet and add the carrots, celery and onions. Season with some salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for another minute, stirring to combine.
• Using a slotted spoon, add the vegetables to the beans. Add the bay leaves and give it a good stir. Taste to check if it needs any additional seasoning. Simmer until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When ready to serve, stir in the tomatoes. Serve with the reserved bacon and chopped parsley.

BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Cook bacon in soup pot till browned but still limp.
• Remove bacon from pan and reserve two tablespoons bacon fat.
• Cook carrots,onions, and celery in bacon fat over medium heat till soft.
• add beans and broth to soup pot with bacon and veggies.
• Bring to boil and turn heat down to simmer for 1/1/2 hours.
• Season with celery salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread and butter.

MEDITERRANEAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and pick out any debris.
• Put the beans in a crockpot set on high.
• Add the salt and water.
• Cook for 8 hours or overnight, or cook in simmering water on the stove for a couple of hours.
• Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, and celery.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 min until soft.
• Add the garlic and cook for 3-4 min more.
• Scrape the vegetables into the beans.
• Rinse the kale and remove any big stems.
• Chop the leaves and add to the soup along with the tomatoes, basil, rosemary and red pepper flakes.
• Cook until the kale is wilted and tender, about 15-20 minute.

MEDITERRANEAN BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven or medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaf, onions and herb bundle and season with a little salt and more pepper. Cook until soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Stir for 1 minute more. Add the stock and bring to a low boil.
• Add a few ladles of the soup to a food processor along with 1 can of beans and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the soup and stir to combine. Add the remaining can of beans and the kale and cook until the kale is wilted. Season with a hint of nutmeg. Add the cheese rind and simmer for 15 minutes at a low bubble to let the flavors combine. Adjust the seasonings.
• Remove the cheese rind, herb bundle and bay leaf from the soup. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and top with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of EVOO. Serve with bread for mopping.

BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Chop the bacon, then fry it in the large saucepan you will use the the soup. The idea is not to crisp it but to render the fat: cook it on a low heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, leaving any rendered fat in the pan
• Whilst the bacon is cooking, roughly chop the onion, garlic and leek and peel and slice the carrot. Once the bacon is done, put all of these into the pan and stir in the bacon fat. Add a generous splash of cider vinegar and allow to cook gently for about 5 minutes.
• Add the water, stock, bouillon, paprika, bay leaves and puree to the vegetables. Stir through and then leave to simmer for about an hour.
• Once cooked, add the bacon and then put through a blender and return to the pan (or use an immersion blender in the pan) before adding the drained and rinsed beans. Allow to heat through for 15 minutes.
• Season to taste and serve with crusty bread.
• This recipe is my (remarkably successful) attempt to recreate a covent garden soup of the month recipe - I think I actually like this mor than the original!