Soup of the Day: Old Navy

Old Fashioned White Bean Soup

I found this recipe in a country soups cook book. I love hearty soups, but it's hard to concoct one if I keep it vegetarian.

Original recipe:

2 lbs white (navy) beans

4 quarts water 1 hambone (will be replaced with ?)

1 lb smoked ham hocks (will be replaced with ?)
1 cup onion, chopped

2 tbs. butter

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

Clearly, the original recipe does not meet ANY of my criteria with all that ham in it.

So, I improvised. Considering that ham is the central element of the soup, I guess I would just rewrite the entire thing and keep the idea of the navy beans (which I absolutely love because they are such a pretty, creamy color)!

I went to Whole Foods on Lane and searched for a ham substitute. Yes, there was smoky chipotle tofu sausage, but I opted for the ground Turky instead.

By the way, did you know that chicken and turkey sausages are wrapped in pork casing? I didn't know that. Thank goodness for a knowledgable dude who works in the meat section. I decided to take some turkey meat anyway and asked the meat dude to mix it with sausage seasoning. I chose a Mild Italian seasoning (sea salt, black pepper, anise, fennel, garlic, parsley, paprika, and canola oil). Don't worry. I kept the soup vegetarian. I just made turkey meatballs as a side dish instead. :-)

New recipe:

1 can (15.5 oz) white navy bean (wash and strain)

4 cups organic vegetable broth

1 cup leek, chopped

2 tbs. butter
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Steps:
1. Put butter in medium pot over medium heat until melted; 2. Put leek into pot. Fry for a few minutes only so that it doesn't brown; 3. Add vegetable stock slowly into pot. Raise heat to high and lower when broth begins to boil; 4. Add beans, bay leaf, and pepper flakes; 5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer.