1 pound dry beans (I used roughly equal amounts of small white, small red, and pinto) soaked over night.
2 quarts chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped.
4 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smushed
2 T. tomato paste
2 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
The recipe calls for adding a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes shortly before serving.[/QUOTE]
Hm, I make a white bean soup - I will soak the northern beans over night, then cook them in 2 stages. First stage, for about the beans and stock you have, a softball sized onion with 2 whole cloves stuck into it, 2 stalks celery and 2 carrots just snapped in half to fit the pot and tossed in, and a bouquet garni wrapped in cheesecloth of 12 whole black peppercorns whacked once with the bottom of a cast iron skillet to just break them coarsly, a single 3 inch sprig of rosemary, a small bunch of about 6 or 7 stems and leaves of curly parsley, 3 bay leaves, 4 or 5 whole garlic cloves and a single stem of sage. Simmer for about an hour, then pull out the veggies and bouquet garni. The beans should be just barely soft and not done. Taste the broth, and see if it needs any more pepper. Then I chunk up whatever veggies I decide I want to add - usually a couple huge onions, 4 or 5 stalks of celery including leafy ends, 3 or 4 more carrots - all cut into bite sized pieces, and a largeish pinch of salt. SImmer for another hour gently, and then check a bean to see if they are done yet. I like to chop up a bag of spinach and chuck it in about 10 minutes before serving as we like it more wilted than cooked.
I find the double cooking process tends to make a good solid flavor without mushy overcooked veggies.
You might add me to the guest list. I can smell it.
I have to prepare a goat meat and root stew. I was in the mood to be adventurous and my kids are going to get mcdonalds rather than share the adventure.
I like adding butter as I serve beans. Some bean soups like yours might not need it, but one of my classic meatless dinners is cornbread with a pot of pinto beans. The beans are nothing but water, beans, salt, pepper and maybe a hamhock or bacon, and then we top each bowl of beans with a pat of butter.
Your current bean soup is going in a savory direction, but don’t forget that beans go well sweet too. Think Boston baked beans as an example.
Which is good, since I will be having the leftovers for lunch for a couple of days at least.
At the end I added a dollop of yellow mustard to the pot, and I sprinkled a tablespoon of ground Parmesan on each bowl. When stirred in this made the broth rather cloudy, but it really had a satisfying taste, so I’ll call this mishmash of bits from a half dozen recipes a success.
I might try a non-Italianish version and sub thyme and sage in for the italian seasoning and ditch the cayenne. Or go the chili powder/cumin/ground chile route for a more Southwestern approach.
Also, some fish sauce or anchovy paste would dial up the umami without being recognizeable.
I was wondering about adding a bit of ground-up dried porcini mushrooms to deepen the flavor, since you don’t want to add meat. Should add some umami to the soup.
