Royal Navy Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of dry navy beans
• 2 tbsp of olive oil (divided)
• 4 tbsp of butter
• 14 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 large onions diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 3 celery stalks diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 8 cups of veggie broth
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (add more for spice )
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 2 ½ tsp of turmeric (divided)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp of onion powder
• 1 tsp of red chili pepper flakes
• 2 bay leafs
• 1 ½ salt ( adjust to taste )
• Juice from half lemon
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Garnish

• Fresh chives
• Tsp of heavy cream
• Herb butter toast

INSTRUCTIONS

• Soak beans overnight and allow them to soften. Drain & cook beans in fresh water with 1 tbsp of oil & ½ tsp of turmeric. Cook till soft this may take about an hour. Beans should be easily smashable with fingers. Drain water from cooked beans.
• In a large soup pot, add olive oil & butter, and cook onions, and garlic until tender. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Add all the veggies and saute for 5 mins. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked beans & 8 cups of veggie broth. Add bay leaf and allow soup to simmer for about 15 minutes. Use a ladle and skim any foam off the top of the soup. Remove the bay leaf and set aside ½ of the soup in a separate bowl ( about 5-6 cups ). Use a blender or an immersion blender and blend half. Now add the non-blended part back with the blend and mix well. Taste and make any adjustments to spice and salt. If the soup is too thick add about ½ cup of water. Cook for another 10 mins. Turn off the heat and add the juice of half of a lemon and chopped cilantro. Before serving garnish with fresh chives and a tsp of heavy cream in each bowl. Enjoy it with herb butter toast. (Recipe for herb butter coming soon)