#17: Digging through old cookbooks for soup recipes

I took advantage of the recent cold weather to dig through my extensive cookbook collection for soup recipes.  I love old cookbooks for their language, old ingredients, and especially their technicolor pictures.    One can tell a lot about the social customs of the time by perusing through these bright pages.

I pulled down one of my Grandmother’s books, the Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook from 1959.  I love the way this cookbook is organized:  “Dishes to Tote,” “Cooking for a Crowd,” and “Money-Maker Recipes.”  In the “From the Garden” section I found a recipe for Green Bean Soup.  Since it made a batch for 8 to 10 servings and it used a ham bone, I changed up the recipe a bit by halving it and using bacon.

Green Bean Soup

1/2 lb. lean bacon, cut into pieces
1/2 c. small white onion, minced
2 c. water
2 c. chicken stock or vegetable stock
7  whole allspice
1/4 t. dried thyme (not ground)
4 sprigs parsley, or 1 t. dried parsley
3/4 c. diced potatoes
1 c. green beans, cut into small bite-size pieces (I used what I had put up in the freezer last summer.)
1/4 c. light cream
1/2 T. butter
1 t. salt

In a large sauce pan, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  In 2 T. of the bacon fat, saute onions.  Add water and stock.  Place allspice, fresh parsley, and thyme in a tea or spice ball and add to soup pot.  Add potatoes and beans and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove spice ball. 

Just before serving, stir in cream butter and salt.
Green Beans