Singletree Soup Nazi

A classic bean soup, verbally handed down to me by my father, then documented and updated to be the Soup Nazi way. This recipe is intended to use leftover Ham and Ham Bone from a holiday type meal; though you can just buy a Ham specifically for the soup.

INGREDIENTS

For the Ham Bone Stock

• About 10 cups of Water
• 1 Ham Bone (with cartilage and meat attached)
• Ham Scraps, Skin, etc (don’t let that good stuff go to waste)
• 1 Carrot – peeled and chopped course
• 1 Onion – chopped course, included skins
• 1 Celery Stalk – chopped course
• 6 Sprigs of Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf

For the Soup
Mirepoix

• 1 Yellow or Sweet Onion – diced fine
• 1 Carrot – peeled and diced fine
• 1 Celery Stock – diced fine

Soup

• 1 Lb. dried Navy Beans
• 4 Slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardons
• 6 Sprigs of fresh Thyme – tied into a Bouquet Garni
• 4 Large Carrots – peeled and sliced medium
• 2 Stalks Celery – sliced thin
• 2 Cloves Garlic – crushed fine or minced
• 1 Lb. Ham, chopped into bite sized chunks
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt, plus more as needed
• 6 Cups Chicken Stock (to supplement the Ham Bone Stock – if needed)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Kitchen twine (for Bouquet Garni)
Large Stock Pot

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the Beans
The night before, soak the Beans in room temperature Water. Put the Beans in a large bowl with enough room for the Beans to double in size. Cover with at least an extra 2 inches of Water.

Soaking and draining the beans helps them cook more evenly and reduces the chances that the beans split. Don’t skip this step.

Make the Ham Bone Stock
In the stock pot, add all of the Ham Bone Stock ingredients from above. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, let simmer for 8 hours (or overnight). When done, strain into a separate bowl, discard all of the solids.

Make the soup
Drain the beans and rinse – set aside
On low heat, cook the bacon lardons. Low heat will slowly render the fat. Cook until they start to get crisp, but not quite. Remove and set aside
Add about 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
On Medium-high heat, add the Mirepoix, Thyme bundle, Bay Leaf and Black Pepper, sauté until the Onions are translucent – about 5 minutes
Add the Garlic, sauté until fragrant (but do not burn) – about 1 minute
Add the Ham, Bacon, Beans and about 8 cups of Ham Bone Stock – stir gently
Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and lower to a simmer
Cook on simmer for about an hour – gently stirring occasionally (don’t break the beans). Checking the beans for doneness each time you stir. Taste for saltiness each stir, add salt as needed (the Ham Bone Stock may be salty, so be careful adding salt). If the soup is too thick, add Hame Bone Stock or Chicken stock to add volume as needed.
When the beans are close to being done, add the sliced carrots and celery – cook for about another 30 minutes or until the beans and carrot are the desired doneness.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Serve with fresh sourdough bread