Food with JP passion: Haricot Bean Soup with Smoked Bacon Crisps
By JP Kennedy
John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook and an avid fan of collecting cookery books with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking. his passion for proper family cooking stems from his TWO Grandmothers who were both excellent cooks, one of whom was a trained chef. JP promises to bring us plenty of family-inspired recipes and tasty treats while showing us how to get the basics right.
This is a hearty, healthy soup recipe that’s perfect for this time of year.
The haricot beans are a great kitchen cupboard fallback to have in reserve to whip up a batch of this delicious soup.
They are also full of protein so for all of us who are consciously trying to be healthier at the start of the year this is a great recipe to have in your repertoire! Served with delicious smoked bacon crisps on top adds a nice salty note to the soup at the end.
You can use dried haricot beans or canned depending which you can get your hands on! Failing that you can replace the haricot beans with cannelloni beans which I’ve found are much easier to source.
If using canned beans make sure to rinse well under cold water for about 1 minute before adding to the soup.
Ingredients:
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 3 sticks of celery chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tin of haricot or Cannelloni beans (400g)
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 40g butter
- 1 leek chopped
- 1.25 litres of hot chicken stock
- Sea salt & Ground black pepper for seasoning
- Pancetta Crisps
- 6 pieces of smoked streaky bacon
Method:
1. Rinse your beans under cold water for about 1 minute. Then melt the butter and add the onion and on a low heat allow to gently cook until softened – this will take about 8 minutes.
2. Then add the potato, celery, leek, thyme, garlic powder and cooked beans, cover with the chicken stock and allow to simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and tender.
3. Pop into a liquidiser or food processor and blitz until nice and smooth then season with salt & pepper to taste.
4. To make the pancetta crisp place the smoked streaky bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cooked in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 10-12 minutes until nice and crispy. Allow to cool.
5. Serve the soup in large serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a pancetta crisp and an optional swirl of cream if you fancy an extra but of luxury.
Like most soups you can make this in large batches and it freezes really well for up to a month. I think this is the perfect time to rejuvenate our systems especially after the Christmas over indulgence.
With the current restrictions in place there has never been a better time to get into the kitchen and make some proper wholesome food and this soup recipe ticks all of the boxes.
I love soups that have the addition of potato as it adds a real depth and velvetiness to the recipe. I made a big batch of this soup over the weekend for lunches this week as I continue to work from home!
It’s nice to know there will be some real nutritional goodness going into my system this week!
Next week is my recipe for Guinness and Treacle bread which is delicious served with all soups and stews or with smoked salmon, a real show stopping no knead / rise bread you will love!
Contact JP On:
Twitter: @JPKCooking
Email: JPKCooking@gmail.com
Instagram: jpkennedy.kennedy
TAGS Lifestyle
