Senate Navy Bean Soup Recipe | A Classic American Bean Soup
Over the past few months, my wife and I have been reorganizing the house now that the boys have moved out. In the process we uncovered a box of old photographs, each one a small doorway back in time.
One in particular stopped me in my tracks. It was taken in the dining room of the United States Senate in 1971. In the photograph with me are my classmate Larry Anderson and two Idaho senators—Len Jordan (Republican) and Frank Church (Democrat).
Though the Vietnam War was still deeply dividing the country, there was a civility in those days that allowed members of Congress to sit down, share a meal, and debate their differences face to face. We were better for it.
The conversation that day turned to a surprisingly passionate topic: the true origin of the navy bean soup served daily in the Senate dining room.
Being staunch Idahoans, Senators Jordan and Church defended the claim that Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho introduced the soup to the Senate in the early 1900s. At the next table, however, Senator Walter Mondale championed the competing claim that Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota had brought the recipe to the Senate a few years later. Both versions still appear today in the Senate’s historical records.
Dubois’ version included potatoes, though around the table it was generally agreed they were unnecessary. Senator Church was adamant about one improvement: the onions should be sautéed slowly until sweet before adding them to the soup.
So here, more than fifty years later, is a bipartisan navy bean soup, inspired by that lunch in the Senate dining room.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup carrot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Salt (if needed, depending on the saltiness of the ham)
- Water or light chicken stock to cover
Directions
Traditional methods call for soaking the beans overnight and cooking the soup slowly on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or large pot.
The night before, rinse the beans and soak them in plenty of water. I like to soak the beans with a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda (not as controversial as it sounds).
In the morning, drain the beans and place them in a dutch oven or slow cooker with the ham hock. Cover with fresh water (or light chicken stock) by a couple of inches and cook at simmer temperature until the beans are tender.
Remove the ham hock and set aside to cool slightly. When it is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bone, chop it into small pieces, and return it to the soup. Discard the bone and any excess fat.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet with a little olive oil or butter and slowly sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot until the onions soften and begin to caramelize. This step deepens the flavor of the soup.
Add the sautéed vegetables and thyme to the pot and let everything cook together for another 20–30 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the flavors meld. Taste and season with pepper and additional salt if needed.
Serving
This is the kind of soup made for a cold winter evening. Serve it with warm, crusty bread and—naturally—a glass of Occasio Cabernet Franc, whose savory herbs and dark fruit make a wonderful companion to the smoky richness of the ham and beans.
* Senators Frank Church and Len Jordan later worked together to protect a vast wilderness in Idaho. In 1980 the River of No Return Wilderness Area was established, and in 1984 it was renamed the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness, now the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 states.
