Warm up with Romanian bacon soup. Our new favourite fall soup is this easy dish with white beans, dill, and sour cream.
– 2 Tbsp butter – 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into small dice. – 2 ribs celery, sliced or chopped – 12 ounces bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch piece – 1 ½ cups dried white navy beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water. – 7 cups chicken stock – sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper – ¾ cup sour cream – 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar – 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped
Saute onion and celery in butter in a large Dutch oven for several minutes until softened. In another skillet, sauté bacon until done but not crunchy.
After the onions and celery soften, add the bacon to the Dutch oven. Drain and add soaked beans, chicken stock, and bay leaves to the pot.
Salt and pepper are not yet added. Boil then simmer. Simmer slightly covered for 45–60 minutes to tenderise beans.
To give the soup stock more body, I mix a corner of the pot with my immersion blender. Only a little of the soup is blended.
Optional. Pour vinegar into the soup and season with salt and pepper. Stir in sour cream after removing the soup from heat.
Please see my methods to avoid sour cream curdling. Add plenty of fresh dill to the soup and serve with crusty bread.