Fall is without doubt my favorite time of the year: jackets, cool temperatures, dark evenings, crisp air, and most importantly: cooking. Fall gives you a chance (nay, a reason) to break out hearty, soul-mending food stuffs like this bean and bacon soup. It’s practically a necessity.
Bean and Bacon Soup
Ingredients
8 oz bacon, cut into one inch pieces
One large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flake
2 or 3 dashes vinegar-based hot sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 lbs bag dried Great Northern white beans
1 ½ lbs potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 quart chicken stock
3 cups water
Method
In a pressure cooker, saute the bacon until crisp and fat is rendered out. Remove to a paper towel covered plate. Retain two tablespoons of the bacon fat and saute the onion until translucent and golden, five minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, one minute. Add seasonings, beans, potatoes and carrots, stock and water, enough to cover ingredients by one inch. Put on lid and bring to pressure over high heat. Reduce to medium and cook for forty-five minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally. Remove half of the soup to a blender and puree. Add back into the soup, and add the bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
(to make without pressure cooker, use pre-cooked beans. Add all ingredients as above, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for thirty minutes)