So, little did I know when I woke up this morning I would be making a pot of my delicious Happy Bean Soup. I have been toying with the idea of entering Deseret Book's soup contest. The prize is for a $100 gift certificate, but that isn't why I wanted to do this. I reinvented this soup a few years ago when Randy asked me to make him some white bean soup. I had no idea how to make white bean soup. The only thing I did know was that you needed a ham bone. So I looked up a recipe and it seemed good to me. It had parsnips in it. I had NEVER eaten parsnips before, and wasn't sure what they looked like. (4th picture down on the right) I had never tasted them before either. Here is what I did to make this soup mine: First of all, I replaced most of the butter used with truffle oil. If you have never had truffle oil, well, it is heavenly. It is pungent and earthy and makes things taste amazing. Truffles are one of the most expensive foods on the planet. The way to get around the cost is to use infused oil. Try to find the smelliest oil you can. Price doesn't always determine this. A bottle costs anywhere between $11 and $23 depending on where you shop. I think we decided that the best was from Williams and Sonoma. Worth the investment, really, I kid you not. The other thing I did to tweak the recipe was to double the amount of ham. More ham more good in my book. The final thing that makes it mine not theirs and I think adds tremendously to the taste is to use vegetable stock instead of water. I think I used water the first few times I tried it and then decided to try veggie stock. IT TASTES TOTALLY BETTER! Mine is way better than THEIRS. So I made soup today and took pictures. You had to add a picture to your entry. I don't know if I will win. But I have shared with you a wonderul recipe and if you like it, and you smile, it will make me happy.
