BEAN SOUPS
You don’t need much to cook a delicious pot of beans. Dried beans soaked overnight and then cooked in plain old water will yield you something delicious and satisfying to eat. A lot of people know this, but what a lot of people don’t know is that the broth from cooking the beans is equally delicious and can be turned into an easy and satisfying soup. I see a lot of people cooking beans, throwing out the cooking liquid, and then making soup with boxed chicken stock. It’s just not right! This newsletter is a bean broth PSA!
Photos by Ben Turner, whose work you can find here.
For this month’s newsletter I want to show you how to make two bean soups. I’m using the term bean broadly to include lentils, so sue me! We eat a lot of beans and bean soups in my house, and when I haven’t thought ahead to soak my beans overnight I’ll often reach for a handful of lentils. I’m giving you two recipes, but what I’m more interested in showing you is a general guideline for making bean soups, an appreciation for beans and their cooking liquid, and an even greater appreciation for water, the most magical and transformative ingredient of all.
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THE INGREDIENTS
BEANS - Your beans don’t need to be expensive. I have cooked the cheapest beans available many times and they’re pretty much always good. The only issue with random cheap beans is that they might be old, and the older the bean the longer they will take to cook.
WATER - Water is an underrated ingredient! Sometimes chicken stock would be overpowering and water is all you need to get a delicious and subtle flavor. Most soups do really well with water instead of stock. You may know this already from my trash soup newsletter. Water takes on other flavors. Beans give off a lot of good flavor.
LONG COOKING VEGETABLES - Alliums like onions or leeks always make a delicious foundation to any soup. Other long cooking root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, or celery root can go in early without risking over-cooking and will help to flavor the broth.
HERBS - Woody herbs like bay, thyme or rosemary should be added early in the cooking process. Soft herbs like mint dill, or parsley should be added at the very end to preserve their fresh flavor.
LEAFY GREENS AND QUICK COOKING VEGETABLES - Kale, collards, swiss chard, spinach, or zucchini should be added towards the end of the cooking process to preserve their bright green color and flavor.
COOKING TIME AND METHOD - People always want to know how long beans take to cook and I’m sorry to say that they are simply done when they’re done. Some beans may take 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Lentils usually cook in about 20 minutes. Black eyed peas also usually cook up in less than 40 minutes. I will usually check my beans after about 20 minutes and go from there.
SALTING YOUR BEANS - there is a lot of mixed information out there about salting beans. I’d always been taught that salting beans too early can cause the skins to toughen, but this seems to be a myth. I usually turn to Cook’s Illustrated or Serious Eats when I want to learn more about the science of cooking. Cook’s Illustrated claims that a salty brine actually helps to tenderize the skins and causes them to cook more evenly. Serious Eats agrees and recommend brining your beans overnight. They suggest 1 tablespoon of salt per 4 cups of water. I’m sold.
KOMBU IN BEANS - a small piece of kombu supposedly helps to break down the gas-producing sugars in beans. Not essential, but a helpful tip.
A SIMPLE POT OF BEANS
The night before - in a large container or pot cover 1 cup of dried beans with 2 tablespoons of salt and 8 cups of water. Cover with a lid and leave to soak at room temperature overnight.
The next day - drain your beans and give them a rinse. This water can be a bit gas-producing if you know what I mean!
In a pot, cover your soaked beans with about 2 quarts of fresh water (the beans should be covered by about 3-4 inches of water so adjust according to the width of your pot), add a tablespoon of salt, a small piece of kombu if you have it, and bring to a boil. You may notice some foam on the surface, skim this off. Once the water comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Sometimes the water will evaporate quickly, so make sure your beans are always covered by about 2-3 inches of water. Add more water throughout cooking as needed.
Allow to cook until about 3/4 of the way done. At this point check your beans for salt - they should be seasoned through and the liquid should be delicious, too. Add a bit more salt if this is not the case and continue cooking until tender but not falling apart.
You can also cook your beans in the oven. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and place in a 350 oven. Follow the same stove-top method for checking seasoning. Cook until beans are tender.
We’re going to use these simple beans for a soup so they don’t need any other flavorings, but feel free to add a halved onion, some garlic cloves, a limp carrot or celery stalk, or some herbs!
If you forgot to soak your beans overnight you have three options:
Use lentils instead, which do not need to be soaked and cook in about 20 minutes
Use the quick soak method - in a pot cover your dried beans with water by about 4 inches. bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Drain the liquid, then start with fresh water and cook as you would overnight soaked beans.
Use an Instant Pot - there is no tried and true length of times to cook beans in an instant pot because beans vary in freshness. I usually start at about 10 minutes and then check. It’s risky but it works.
TWO SOUP RECIPES
Click here for a printable PDF of the recipe without photos
These soups are meant to be used as guidelines and inspiration. Make them your own by using what you have and what you like.
CHICKPEA, FARRO + SWISS CHARD SOUP (or any bean, any grain, and any green soup) - serves 4-6
A few tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium leek, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green garlic, or 2-3 sliced garlic cloves
1 batch of cooked chickpeas from 1 cup of dried beans, plus their cooking liquid1
1/4 cup farro
1 bunch swiss chard
2 zucchini, medium diced
A few tablespoons of chopped parsley and/or dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan and good olive oil to serve
In a pot over medium heat sauté your leek and green garlic in olive oil for about 5-6 minutes. Add cooked chickpeas and their liquid. Add farro. Cook until farro is tender. A sprig of rosemary, a bay leaf or a parmesan rind could be a nice addition here if you have them. Add water as needed if the bean liquid is looking low. Taste the broth - it should be seasoned well. Adjust as needed.
In the meantime, prepare your swiss chard. I think the stem is equally as delicious as the greens, but they should be prepared separately. Slice along each side of the stem to separate it from the greens. Trim the bruised end of the stem, and slice off any sad looking bits. Make a pile of your stems and a pile of your greens. Slice the stems thinly in about 1/4 inch slices. Add to your soup. Rough chop the greens. Add those and the diced zucchini and chopped parsley and/or dill to the soup. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Taste and season with salt as needed. I also like a lot of pepper in this soup.
Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan. YUM!
LENTIL SOUP - serves 4-6
A few tablespoons of olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, small dice
2 stalks of celery, small dice
2 garlic cloves, chopped or sliced
1/3 cup canned tomatoes, crushed in your hands
1 small potato, small dice
¾ cup puy lentils
a bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme
6 cups water or home made stock if you have it. I had some duck stock. why not?
a few handfuls of tender greens - I had some spinach and bok choy
Vinegar to taste, start with 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
In a pot sauté onion, carrot, and celery in some olive oil for about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato, cook for 3-4 minutes to reduce. Add potato, lentils, bay leaf and thyme. Cover with 6 cups water or stock. Season to taste with salt. Pepper if you like it. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Add greens and chopped parsley. Season with a little vinegar. Taste. The vinegar should slightly brighten and amplify flavors, but you don’t necessarily want to taste it. Adjust with more vinegar if needed, and salt as needed.
Now go make a pot of beans and eat some soup!
I was at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago looking for black eyed peas to celebrate the New Year when I ran into my friend Robin Koda of Koda Farms. Robin is famous for her incredible rice, but she also grows some of the best chickpeas ever and I couldn’t resists highlighting these in my bean newsletter.
im obsessed with Koda Farms & Robin is awesome!!! i've never tried their chickpeas, thanks for the tip!