Creole White Bean Soup

Creole White Bean SoupPhoto byM Henderson

This Creole White Bean Soup is perfect for a rainy day.

I didn't have white beans very often growing up. Beans were what grew fresh in the garden, namely green beans, and baked beans made with canned pork & beans and some mixture of brown sugar, bacon, and a little ketchup, and then popped in the oven to caramelize, as a side dish for barbecue.

The excellent Creole and Cajun cooks at my elementary and high schools prepared white beans once in a while if I remember correctly, but their red beans and sausage over rice were a staple. They also made amazing black-eye peas with sausage or ham on rice, which I still crave.

I like white beans, though, especially with a side of sauteed spinach, or ladled over cornbread, or both. This Creole white bean soup is seasoned with tasso (Louisiana-style smoked pork). You can also add ham or some other type of smoked, or even unsmoked meat. Smoked turkey is very good!

Ingredients

• 1-lb. white or navy beans
• 1 Tablespoon of oil or bacon fat
• 1-lb. tasso or other smoked meat, like ham or turkey
• 1 or 2 entire heads of garlic, divided into cloves and peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 celery stalks with leaves, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water (You can a combination)
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped parsley or green onions, for garnish

Directions

1. Soften white beans in a pressure cooker or by soaking them overnight. Drain.
2. In a cast iron or stainless steel soup pot, heat the oil or bacon fat.
3. Add the tasso, ham, or other meat and saute for a couple of minutes.
4. Add garlic cloves, celery, onion, and carrots. Cook while stirring until wilted (about 5 minutes).
5. Add softened beans and stir well.
6. Add chick broth or water and bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
7. Bring to a boil
8. Lower the heat, and let the soup simmer for about one hour.
9. Remove bay leaves and garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve with bread, or cornbread, if desired.