A tasty way to bean soup

Press, 13 August 1980, Page 13

A tasty way to bean soup

Alison Hoist’s

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Vp.ry smooth an' 4 creamy, this soup is pale in colour, with a good flavour. You have to be verycareful when you season something like this — too much salt will leave you feeling terribly thirsty later, not enough will make it seem as if you are eating flour and water paste. For about 10 servings: 1 packet (400 g haricot beans 10 cups water 1 bacon hock 2 cloves garlic 2 onions 2 stalks celery (optional) Seasonings

Empty the beans into the soup pot, and pick out any discoloured ones. Either pour cold water over them and leave them to stand overnight, or pour boiling water over them and leave them to stand for an hour. Add the oacon hock and vege tables.

Cover the pan, and simmer for l|-2 hours, until the meat and beans are tender. (If the meat becomes tender before the beans, lift it out — if the beans become tender before the meat you just have to keep cooking them.) Puree . the vegetables and the cooking liquid, then add the meat from the hock, cubed, and skin removed. Season very carefully. Serve in large bowls, topped with a knob

of butter and a sprinkling of chopped parsley, or topped with a spiral of cream and sprinkling of paprika, chives or parsley. BACON CHOWDER This recipe was sent to me by a lady from Wait kanae who enjoyed my fish chowder, and was kind enough to send her bacon chowder recipe in exchange. It’s a nice change to have a bacon flavour in soup without having peas or beans. This is a pretty

soup — and makes a good, complete meal for four people, with crisp bread or a crisp salad, and fruit to follow. 1 bacon hock 4 cups water 1 bay leaf 25g butter 2 onions, chopped 2-3 stalks celery 2 medium potatoes 2-3 tablespoons cornflour 1 cup milk 1 small can whole kernel corn

Put the bacon hock, measured water and bayleaf in a saucepan, cover and simmer for l*-2 hours, until meat is tender. Strain and reserve stock, cool hock, and discard bayleaf.

Melt butter in the same saucepan, chop the onions, celery and potatoes, and turn them in the butter for 2-3 minutes, without letting .them brown. Add the stock from the hock, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Mix the cornflour to a paste with the milk, and add slowly, stirring constantly. Add the drained corn, and the meat from the hock, cut into cubes. (Discard the skin and fat.)

Taste and season carefully. If the soup is too salty, add extra milk and more thickening. Otherwise add pepper and a small amount of salt. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.