Senate Bean Soup

by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington
from Heirloom Beans
(Chronicle, 2008)
Serves 4

When I tell my customers to cook beans simply, they often nod in agreement and say something like, “I’ll just cook them with a ham hock.” My heart sinks a little. Beans are great with ham hocks, but freshly dried heirloom varieties don’t need them. Save the pork for another use, at least the first time you make heirloom beans. But I do understand the love of ham, and there are times when that old-fashioned comfort combination of beans and ham is required. This simple soup has been served to legislators at the U.S. Senate Restaurant in Washington, DC, since the early 1900s. The authentic version uses navy beans, but an heirloom just makes it better. You can ask your butcher to cut the ham hock for you.—Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington

Editor’s note: You will find easy instructions for cooking beans at Steve Sando’s Web site. — Linda Avery

convert Ingredients
1/2 pound yellow eye beans, soaked (see Note) and drained
One 1 1/2 pound ham hock, cut crosswise into 3 or 4 pieces
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnishing
Salt and freshly ground pepper

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Method
1. In a soup pot, combine the beans, ham hock, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the beans are beginning to soften, about 1 hour.

2. Add the onion, celery, garlic, 1/4 cup parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer until the beans are soft and beginning to break down, and the ham meat comes off the bone easily when shredded with a fork, about 1 hour.

3. Remove the ham hock pieces. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones. Dice the meat and return it to the pot. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with parsley.

Substitution note: Any white bean that will break down and become creamy will work nicely here. Try marrow beans, or if you don’t have heirlooms, go with classic navy beans.

Soaking note: I put the beans to soak in the morning, after rinsing them in lots of cool water and checking them for small bits of debris. I cover the beans with about 1 inch of cold water. I found that beans soaked for 2 to 6 hours have a better texture and cook more evenly, and it’s my preference. The quick-soak method calls for pouring hot water over the beans and let them soak for about 1 hour, then pour off the water, add new water, and start cooking. Others don’t soak at all. It’s up to you.

Recipe © 2008 by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.