No matter what you think of the U.S. Senate these days, you will probably agree that this soup, which has been on the menu in the Capitol cafeterias since the early 1900’s, is a perfect dish for our time. It’s cozy, nourishing, bringing-together-doing (am having trouble with word retrieval), and, as my sister-in-law Tricia likes to say about Tom Hanks films, ULA (ultimately life-affirming)!
The original version of this soup* contains celery, garlic, parsley, and mashed potatoes, the latter as a nod to one of its purported fans, Senator Fred Dubois from Idaho. But this is today’s version, on the menu and available for our hard-working Senators every day they’re not in quarantine.
We suggest making a pot of this deliciousness as a treat to yourself after you vote!
- 2 pounds dried navy beans
- 4 quarts hot water
- 1½ pounds smoked ham hocks
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- .
- Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened.
- Place beans into pot with hot water.
- Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool.
- Dice meat and return to soup.
- Lightly brown the onion and carrot in butter. Add to soup.
- Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8
*Here’s the original version of the soup, courtesy of the U.S. Senate cafeteria:
Put 1 pound navy beans in a large bowl and cover with about 3 times their volume of cold water. Soak overnight in a cool place.
Drain the beans and transfer to a large pot or dutch oven. Add 10 cups of water and 1 pound bone-in ham. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the beans are tender, about 1.5 hours. Transfer the ham to a plate to cool then remove the bone, and dice the meat, returning the meat to the pot.
Cover a potato with water in a saucepan and season with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer the potato to a bowl with 1/2 cup milk, then mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth; add the mashed potato to the bean soup and stir until combined.
Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced vegetables: 1 onion, 1 stalk celery, 1 carrot, 2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 cup fresh parsley, and cook until the vegetables are translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the soup, reduce the heat to low and cook 1 hour, adding more water if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
(Possible modern shortcuts: Use 4 cans cannellini beans instead of dried beans; 1/2 cup instant potato flakes instead of potato; slow cooker for soaking beans overnight.)
I always love this soup. I add a dash of balsamic at the end to brighten it. You can also add a inch of heat. Weather here is calling for soup!
Here it’s due to be 90 degrees tomorrow..! We are longing for fall soup weather!
PS Like the balsamic idea.. I also like to add a sprig of rosemary to this soup while cooking.