Not long ago, The Mr. and I walked into our favorite watering hole and wanted something to eat. "Hey Johnny, what's the soup today?" I asked.
"I don't know... 48-bean soup or something like that," the barkeep answered.
"Forty-eight?" I doubted.
"Well if you don't believe me, order it up and count 'em," Johnny smiled.
Well, I did order it. And I did count them (but I got distracted after the tenth bean and lost count) Really, it's not 48 Bean Soup. To be honest, I don't even know if there are 48 different kinds of beans that exist. It's actually 16 Bean soup, but the joke title stems from interactions we've continued having at this favorite pub regarding this soup.
The Mr. and I love this soup, so whenever we go to the pub, I always ask Johnny what soup they're serving that day, hoping this is the one on the menu. His responses range anywhere from "18-bean" to "59-bean," depending on how mischievous he's feeling that day, but I seem to remember "48-bean" being the one he uses most as an answer.
One day, a fellow patron overheard Johnny's response, and playfully exclaimed "That's a lie! There aren't even 48 different kinds of beans!"
"Yeah?" Johnny smirked, "Well order it up and count 'em if you don't believe me!"
Thus continues the joke of 48-bean soup.
Source: based on the loose guidelines given to me from Gary, the cook
Ingredients
2 T. butter
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
12 c. water
1-2 ham hocks
1 lb. bag of 16 bean blend, presoaked and rinsed
Seasoning Packet (included in the bag of beans)
1 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch of dried parsley
2 bay leaves
ham, cut into small cubes (I used cottage ham and cut it into small pieces)
Directions
1. In a large pot (I used my stock pot) melt the butter. Saute the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic over medium high heat till onions are translucent.
2. Add the ham hocks, beans, seasoning packet, mustard powder, pepper, parsley, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 60 minutes.
4. Remove ham hocks and add the cubed ham pieces. Continue simmering for 30 additional minutes. While the soup simmers, trim any usable meat off of the ham bone and toss it back in the soup. Discard the bone.
5. Serve hot to warm up a cold, rainy day :)
Verdict: Keeper!!
Honestly, I'm pretty proud of my creation. Next time, I will probably simmer the soup a bit longer before adding the ham pieces, simply because I like my beans mushier than they turned out here. If I change anything with the ingredients, I may use a little less ham, or one ham hock instead of two (to cut down on the salt). Other than that, this one definitely earns a permanent spot in the recipe box.
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