Tax Day Bean Soup

April 15, and everyone feels poor. In honor of that, I figured I'd share a recipe for one of the most inexpensive meals ever. There are as many versions of this soup as there are cooks making it. This is just the way it's evolved with me.

When we were growing up, my brother and I waited for the days when my mom would make this. She always served it with piping hot cornbread. Beans and Cornbread was our favorite! Over time, I've modified it so now it's uniquely mine and very versatile. You can use whatever beans you have, and add whatever you have on hand to the soup. Or just use beans, water, and salt. Anyway you make these will be good. You can cook them in a crock pot, or on the stove. I've even heard of one version where it's made in the oven, but I haven't tried that one yet.

Ingredients:
One pound of beans of any kind. I usually use white beans or else a 15 bean mix.
Salt to taste
8 cups of water
Optional:
One pound of salted pork (bacon, Virginia Ham, pork necks or shank)
Two large carrots grated or chopped fine
One large onion roughly copped into large pieces
Two garlic cloves roughly chopped
One celery heart roughly chopped
Four stalks of celery roughly chopped
One can unsalted and unseasoned chopped tomatoes

Soak the beans overnight if possible then discard the soaking water. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot and put the beans in. Bring to a slow boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Try not to stir the beans too much, but don't let them burn. The beans will make their own stock as they cook. In two hours, take one bean out with a spoon and blow on it. If the skin breaks apart, the beans are close to done. Add salt to the soup until it tastes good to you. When the beans are done, take out half of the soup into a bowl and roughly mash the beans and stock together. Return to the soup pot, and stir to combine. Taste once more, then serve.

You can add any or all of the optional items at the beginning stage so the flavors blend well, but DO NOT add the tomatoes until just before serving. The acid in the tomatoes will keep the beans from getting tender. Do not add the salt until the beans are close to being done, particularly if you're adding salted pork. Taste often to keep from over seasoning the soup. Sometimes I add a bay leaf for about half the cooking time. I've heard some people add potato to the soup, but I've never tried that. I garnish the soup with grated cheese when serving. Other times I've put a big chunk of cheese in the bottom of the bowl and poured the soup over it. This will make enough soup to feed about 6-8 people, especially if you're serving corn bread or salad with it. Freeze the left over soup after it's cooled. Or serve it the next day by boiling up your favorite pasta and adding it to the soup.

Hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, let me know!