Bean Soup with Bacon and Oregano

From the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

4

Introduction

Since you’ve already made the bean stew, most of your work is already done. If you want a vegetarian soup, skip the bacon and use 1 tablespoon olive oil to sauté the garlic. Serve this with some of the leftover walnut bread or another crusty loaf.

Ingredients

	5 to 6	cups Spicy White Bean Stew with Roasted Red Peppers
	2	cups milk
	4	slices bacon, cut crosswise in ¼-inch wide pieces
	2	large garlic cloves, minced
	2	tsp. dried oregano
	½	cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
	½	tsp. salt
	~	Freshly ground pepper to taste

Steps

1. In a blender or food processor, purée the bean stew and milk, in batches if necessary.
2. In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, sauté the bacon until almost crisp. Add the garlic and sauté until the bacon is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and garlic to a plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Pour the bean purée into the pan and add the bacon mixture and oregano. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to prevent the soup from sticking and burning. Reduce heat so that the soup just simmers, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve.

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