White Bean And Tasso Soup

We’ve had some Tasso in the freezer for a while and Bev’s lingering mouth sensitivity has improved to the point that she can now enjoy mildly spicy food so we decided to whip up a batch of white beans using the Tasso in lieu of our normal ham hocks.  I went a step further and found an actual recipe for White Bean And Tasso Soup at Louisiana Kitchen and Culture then adapted it just a little by using less water, chopping the Tasso at the beginning, and not blending part of the beans to thicken it – all personal preferences).

White Bean And Tasso Soup – Adapted from Louisiana Kitchen and Culture

Ingredients:

2 cups onions, chopped

2 cups green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 lb dried white beans, picked over, and soaked overnight

1 ¾ lb Tasso ham, chopped, preferably Poche's brand (just what we had)*

2 bay leafs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

8 cups chicken broth

8 cups water (I used four cups)

salt, black pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste (none for us)

Method:

Add all ingredients to a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook 2 to 2½ hours or until beans are soft.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

* - Tasso is not actually ham (hogs rear leg) but rather it is cured shoulder which is then rubbed with spices and smoked until fully cooked.

We served it over some cornbread muffins and topped with a little diced onion.

I thought it was very good and perfect comfort food for a rainy day.  It had just the right amount of heat and using less liquid made it just the way I like soup.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

2/28/18 Meal Date