The Soup Loop

I'm cutting it pretty close here with the title, it being Daylight Savings Time now and a warm-ish Sunday morning in Arkansas, but I know we're still in for some coldness... That being said, I thought I'd share a method for making homemade soup out of little more than a few handfuls of dried beans. I have only two cardinal rules for bean soup: 1. start with dried beans, not canned;* 2. don't add salt until the beans are tender (or they might never become tender!). Here's the "recipe," presented more like a guide, with all kinds of possible omissions, substitutions, and additions. Honestly, I think the simpler you keep a bean soup, the better, so think of a final flavor you'd like to have in the soup, and decide on your seasonings and ingredients before you start making it; otherwise you might end up with a sloggy jumble. The photo soup was made with great northern beans, 1 onion, 2 carrots, 3 stalks celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 cups chopped ham, lot...

I'm addicted to them. I've made my own, from potatoes, flour, and salt, and they were divine, but the vacuum-packed ones you can get at groceries now are very close to homemade. Who doesn't like a little dumpling no w and then? This soup was an improv that totally worked. The beans boost the protein, so if you're eating this for a meatless supper, add them. Cooked pasta or rice could definitely stand in for gnocchi. Mushroom-Tomato Soup with Gnocchi 1 cup chopped onion, white or yellow 3 to 4 cups sliced mushrooms (I used a combo of shiitake and white button) a little olive oil 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme salt and black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 3 cloves garlic, minced a few tablespoons of dry red or white wine, or 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained, or two chopped tomatoes 3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water 2 tablespoons prepared pesto, or some chopped basil and extra garlic 1 15-oz. can white ...