Aunt Ginnys Bean Soup Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add butter; allow butter to melt. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook and stir until onion begins to turn translucent and golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 more minute. Add beans and broth. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Set heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Place bread cubes in a saute pan. Drizzle with olive oil; season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toast bread cubes over medium heat until golden brown and crunchy, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle grated cheese over the bread cubes and continue to brown cubes about 2 more minutes.
• Puree soup with an immersion blender until it is very smooth. Whisk in creme fraiche. Stir in lemon juice. Serve topped with browned bread cubes and chopped parsley.

AUNTIE'S GREEN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• For the ham starter: Trim meat off the bone. Place meat and bone in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Pressure cook for 45 minutes. Release pressure, then clean and chop meat and strain broth. This can be divided into 4 portions of starter. Freeze 3 of the portions for future use and set the remaining portion aside.
• For the glace: Put flour and salt in food processor. While it's running, stream in the eggs. Mix thoroughly. Put bench flour on a table, then dump dough out and knead to combine. Let rest 20 minutes. Flour table again and roll to about 1/4-inch thick, then cut into small squares with a pizza cutter. Make sure there's enough flour so the dumplings don't stick together. Rough them up in your hands to make them rustic looking. Put into a dry strainer and shake off excess flour.
• For the soup: Combine the reserved ham starter, ham base, green beans and their juice and potatoes in a pot. Add water to fill about three-quarters of the way. Bring it all to a boil. Add the glace directly to the pot and cook until they float.
• Combine the evaporated milk, sour cream and heavy cream in a separate bowl. Add some hot broth and whisk until completely smooth. Add the tempered cream mixture to the soup. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Let simmer together for 45 minutes.

AUNT GINNY'S BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Wash beans and add water to cover 2 inches over the beans.
• Soak overnight.
• Drain and put in a 6-8 quart pot.
• Cover with 2 quarts water, or use the ham stock made the day before (you may want to use chicken or vegetable broth if you didn't use a ham bone to make a stock).
• Remove meat from ham bone and dice, discarding any fat.
• Add the remaining ingredients and the meat removed from the ham bone and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer for 3-4 hours, or until the beans are tender.
• Sometimes I will add about 1 T chili powder to the soup for a change of pace.

LUIGI'S BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• You will need a large pot with a lid. Rinse beans in cold water to clean, then place in large saucepan, cover with 3 to 4 inches of cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, drain off water, and cover beans again with cold water to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Put back on heat. As water heats, add tomatoes, scallions, oil, celery, garlic, black pepper, and basil. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered for 2 to 3 hours, until beans are cooked and tender. Check beans every so often to ensure that they aren't running dry. Add more water if necessary. Once beans are cooked, add salt, and bring back to a rolling boil for 3 to 5 minutes to thicken. Set aside until ready to serve, then reheat, and transfer to serving dish. Serve hot, topped with a sprinkling of grated cheese and of freshly ground black pepper. Put out pepper and extra cheese so guests can adjust flavorings as they wish.

AUNT NANCY'S BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Drain and discard grease.
• Place bacon in the same skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels. Discard all drippings.
• Add baked beans, kidney beans, butter beans, onion, brown sugar, white sugar, ketchup, molasses, and dry mustard to the beef. Add bacon and mix all ingredients together. Transfer to a 9x13-inch aluminum pan and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

EASY HILLBILLY BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse 1 1/2 to 2 cups bean mixture, cover with fresh water and soak overnight.
• Drain, place beans in large kettle with 2 quarts of water.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Cook all day, until beans are tender.