Senate Bean Soup

Over the years I spent considerable time in Washington DC. During some of my assignments  I had meals in the Senate's restaurant. One of my favorite dishes was Senate Bean Soup which has been served for at least the past 100 years.

The Senate website describes the history of this popular and unpretentious dish as follows:

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Senate Bean Soup Bean soup is on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day. There are several stories about the origin of that mandate, but none has been corroborated.   According to one story, the Senate’s bean soup tradition began early in the 20th-century at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho.  Another story attributes the request to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who expressed his fondness for the soup in 1903. The recipe attributed to Dubois includes mashed potatoes and makes a 5-gallon batch.  The recipe served in the Senate today does not include mashed potatoes, but does include a braised onion.  Both Senate recipes are below. The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe 2 pounds dried navy beans four quarts hot water 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks 1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons butter salt and pepper to taste Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8. Bean Soup Recipe (for five gallons) 3 pounds dried navy beans 2 pounds of ham and a ham bone 1 quart mashed potatoes 5 onions, chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped four cloves garlic, chopped half a bunch of parsley, chopped Clean the beans, then cook them dry.  Add ham, bone and water and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and mix thoroughly.  Add chopped vegetables and bring to a boil.  Simmer for one hour before serving. While the above-listed recipes use navy beans, I prefer great northern beans. The difference has been described in eHow.com : While both beans are light colored, the great northern bean holds its shape better than the navy bean, making it more suitable for dishes in which the cook desires the beans to hold their shape. It also cooks more quickly than the navy bean. However, soups made from the two beans are highly similar, typically featuring bacon or ham, onions, celery, carrots, garlic and sometimes tomatoes or pasta. My Version of the Senate Bean Soup  2 pounds of great northern beans 2 quarts of water 2 quarts of chicken broth 4 cups of chopped left-over ham 2 medium chopped onions 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup of sliced carrots 1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of pepper 1/2 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder Rinse the beans well and place in a stockpot. Add the water and chicken broth and bring to a slow boil for 3 hours. Saute the onions in the olive oil in a pan.  Add onions and oil to the beans along with all the remaining ingredients. Take 3 cups of the mixture and puree in a blender, return the puree to the mixture.  Slow boil the mixture for an additional 30 minutes and stir well.   Fiber and Water for Optimal Digestion A diet of bean soup is profoundly good for your digestive health. Bean soup provides insoluble fiber, which helps your gut to perform optimally. Bean soup's high water content keeps the fiber from gumming up the system, so to speak. Bean soup can also help to thwart overeating. Water-based foods have proved more effective than water alone for controlling hunger pangs and calorie intake. Soups and hot cereals are among the top choices for calorie-reducing diets. Some reasons for my time in Washington DC I did spend considerable time in Washington DC and found it an interesting place and the center of national and international discussion on a number of issues related to my research. The following are extracts are from my folder of press clippings. (1992). "Alan Hofmeister was awarded the Emmy from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences for Excellence in Children’s Programming for his role as Chief Scientist for the Mad Math Series on The Learning Channel (TLC). The television series was produced by Learning 2000, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel." "(1984). "Alan Hofmeister was designated a Mary E. Switzer Scholar awarded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)." (1986). "Alan Hofmeister was invited by President Reagan to a White House reception to honor selected scientists who have made a contribution to the treatment of the handicapped." (1981). "Alan Hofmeister was the Invited Keynote Speaker for the National Meeting of the Association of Media Producers, Washington, DC." (1978-79). "Alan Hofmeister served as the elected President, National Association for Special Education Technology - Washington DC." The Washington DC life was a little overwhelming for this fellow raised in Outback Australia. When offered a very well paid job in Washington DC, I politely refused and  happily returned to the more rural Cache Valley, Utah.