Senate Bean Soup

This soup is called “Senate Bean” because it is a specialty served in the U.S. Senate dining room, not because it is made from “Senate Beans.”
Senate Bean Soup
  • 1 package small white beans Canned chicken stock
  • 1 onion (or a cup or two of mirepoix or trinity)
  • 2 or 3 smoked (ham) pork hocks

Place the beans and the pork hocks in a soup pan and just cover with water.   Bring to a boil and then turn down to a very low simmer.  Allow to simmer for several hours.

After a few hours remove the pork hocks from the pan, remove the meat from the bones and return the meat to the soup pan.

As the soup cooks the beans will begin to breakdown and the soup will thicken.  As it thickens, continue to add chicken broth to thin it out.  About one hour before eating the soup, chop the onion and add it to the soup.

This soup is usually better the second day. The longer it cooks, the more the beans break down, and the more chicken broth is needed.

For a richer soup, substitute a mirepoix or trinity for the chopped onion.

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a classic culinary term for a mixture of two parts chopped onion to one part each of chopped carrot and celery, often seasoned with minced herbs, and sauteed in butter until just softened (sweated”).  Occasionally, cubes of ham or bacon are added to the vegetables to impart a richer flavor.  A mirepoix is the base for many French dishes and is used either to season stews, soups, sauces, and fricasses or as a base for braising meats or fish.

Trinity

A trinity (often called a “holy trinity”) susbtitutes green bell pepper for the carrots in a mirepoix, and is often used as the base for Cajun and Creole cooking.