Basic Bean Soup

You can make any legume a soup with this recipe. Some will take longer to cook than others (and will need more stock or water), but the recipe is universal.

11/2 cups dried beans, washed, picked over, and soaked if time allows

6 cups vegetable, chicken, or beef or water, or more as needed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium to large carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or pinch dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish (optional)

• Drain the beans if you’ve soaked them, then put them in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the stock, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, and thyme.
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so the mixture simmers steadily. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very soft, at least 1 hour; add more liquid as necessary so the mixture remains soupy.
• When the beans are very tender, season to taste with salt and pepper. If you like, you can purée the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender. (At this point, you may refrigerate the soup, covered, for up to 2 days; reheat before proceeding.) Serve, garnished with the parsley.

< ul>10 Ideas for Bean Soup As good as basic bean soup is, it can be made gloriously delicious with a few simple additions. Try any of these, alone or in combination:

1. About 1/4 cup tomato paste or a cup or two of canned (or, of course, fresh) tomatoes, added at the beginning of cooking

2. 1 or 2 mild chiles, like anchos, stemmed and seeded, added at the beginning of cooking

3. A ham bone or 2 or 3 ham hocks or about 1/4 pound chopped bacon or pancetta, added at the beginning of cooking

4. 1 to 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables—carrots, celery, potatoes, shallots, turnips, whatever you like—added about 20 minutes before the end of cooking

5. Any whole grain, like brown rice, barley, or peeled wheat (1/2 cup or so, with the beans reduced by the same amount) added at the beginning of cooking; or quick-cooking grains, like white rice, pearled barley, or bulgur, added during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking

6. At least 1 teaspoon minced garlic, added about 5 minutes before the end of cooking

7. Chopped greens, like kale or collards (1 to 2 cups), added during the last 5 minutes of cooking

8. About 2 tablespoons butter, stirred in at the end of cooking

9. Extra virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per serving, added at the last minute

10. 4 to 8 Garlic Croutons, 1 or 2 added to the bottom of each soup bowl before serving

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 1 to 2 hours, depending on the bean