Haricot Beans

Traditional Scottish Cookery

The little bitty cookbook “Traditional Scottish Cookery”, is one of the cookbooks on my Scottish cookbook shelf. In this itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy cookbook, there is a recipe for “Haricot Bean Soup”. Reading through the recipe, printed just large enough to be discerned with 2.50 magnification power reading glasses, it looked like it would make a “yum” meatless meal. Haricot beans were new to my vocabulary, so I had to find out what they were.

It turns out that another name for haricot beans is navy beans. Navy bean is a bean I know. The United States Navy has served the bean to its sailors since the mid-1800s. That is how the bean got its name.

During World War II there were many American troops stationed in Australia. (I have a friend whose mother was an Australian war bride.) The United States military encouraged the planting of the Navy bean in Australia as a means to help feed all those men. In Australia, the bean became known as the "Yankee Bean".

Naval Food History

The Navy bean is also the main ingredient in Senate Bean Soup, and the recipe has an interesting story.

Senate Bean Soup has been served in the United States Senate for over a hundred years, with one exception. During World War II, because of food rations, for one day only, the soup did not appear on the Senate menu.

There are two stories for how bean soup came to be served, daily, in the Senate cafeteria. These stories might be more legend than fact, but some will argue about which story is true.

One story goes that at the turn of the 20th century the soup was served at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of the state of Idaho. Idaho being the home of potato farmers, Dubois expected potatoes to be part of the bean soup recipe. The story says that Senator Dubois had a resolution passed that the bean soup be on the menu every day.

Senate Navy Bean Soup

Another story is told that the request for bean soup came from Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, back in 1903. He had a fondness for bean soup.

In whatever way the soup came to be an everyday meal on the menu in the Senate cafeteria, it is an economical choice for lower paid workers who serve the Senate.

Senate Bean Soup and Haricot Bean Soup are very similar. Haricot Bean Soup includes turnips, potatoes, flour and milk which Senate Bean Soup does not have. At one time Senate Bean Soup included potatoes (see Senator Dubois, above), but the soup served in the Senate cafeteria, today, no longer does.

Haricot Bean Soup

The Haricot Bean Soup recipe from Traditional Scottish Cookery

No Author Named

Haricot Bean Soup Serves 6-8

Ingredients

12 oz. haricot beans
3 pt. beef or bacon stock (made from 2 lb. marrow bones or 2 lb. bacon bones)
2 small onions, diced
1 turnip
1 lb. diced potatoes
1 tbsp. flour
½ pt. milk
Parsley

Instructions

Wash beans and soak overnight.
Put into a saucepan, with stock, diced vegetables, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until beans are tender.
Force through a sieve and return soup to pan.
Blend the flour with a little of the milk and stir into soup.
Add remaining milk and reheat.
Before serving, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.

The official Senate Bean Soup Recipe from a former U.S. Senate Staffer

Senate Bean Soup (The Official Recipe) Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

1-pound dry navy beans
3/4-pound smoked ham hock
2 quarts cold water
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
kosher salt, to taste (I do about 2 teaspoons)
fresh black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse the navy beans and pick over.

2. Place beans into large pot with two quarts of cold water and the ham hock.

3. Bring just to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for approximately three hours in a partially-covered pot, stirring occasionally, until the beans have fully softened.

4. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool.

5. Meanwhile, lightly brown the onion in butter and add to the soup.

6. Pull meat from the ham hocks and return to soup.

7. Stir.

8. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.