Recipe for White Bean Soup from Chef Peter Schintler of Marmalade in Old San Juan PR
To make the soup:
2 lbs. dried navy beans soaked in water for 24 hours
12-14 slices of hickory-smoked bacon
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, minced
5 cloves of garlic, whole, peeled
2 stems of fresh Thyme
1 gallon of Chicken Stock
1 cup of Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper to Taste
To finish the soup:
¼ cup thinly sliced Chives
4 tbsp. Black Truffle Oil
¼ cup Bacon Dust (from 2 slices of smoked bacon)
1. In a large skillet or microwave oven, cook the bacon until very crisp, reserving the fat.
2. Chop the bacon finely using a knife or food processor. Reserve ¼ cup for the “Bacon Dust”. The rest will be added to the soup with the beans and broth.
3. Gently cook the minced onion and celery under medium heat in the rendered bacon fat
for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly and making sure not to brown either the onions or celery.
4. When the onions and celery are translucent, put them in a large pot. Drain the soaked beans and add them to the onion mixture along with the reserved bacon, thyme, garlic, butter, cream and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a very gentle simmer for 1 ½ hours, covering the pot with a lid and stirring occasionally.
5. When beans are tender, remove the pot from the stove for 1 hour so that it slightly cools. Then, purée the soup in batches in a food processor or blender until it is velvety-textured. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with truffle oil, chives, and bacon dust. Serve at once.
Sounds like a great winter soup! One question though: What about the chopped bacon? Does that go in with the beans for the 90-minute simmer, or is it just a garnish at the end along with the bacon "dust"?
Thank God somebody's paying attention. Thanks to you Corine, I have re-edited the recipe and put the bacon into the broth where it belongs! The "Bacon Dust" is the garnish but the more sizeable quantity of bacon gets added to the soup when the beans do. So pleased to see you doing so well with Corine's Cuisine! MM
OMgosh, the truffles were so large, I thought that was the unreserved bacon! Love the photo of the Chef, cutie bug, but my heart is with my Monte, AND this soup. 😀
Things are going well with Corine's Cuisine, and we're pushing hard to get our sauces onto people's holiday tables this season. We go back into the test kitchen for R&D on three new sauces in December. Once they are done, we'll send you a set. Thanks again for your great recipes and writing. We will try the soup this weekend, and we can't thank you enough for turning us on to that tri-tip recipe. It's become a weekly household standard here! C
Hi I am making this soup tomorrow but don’t see where there is an amount of butter
How did it turn out Marcia? Good or bad, we’d love to hear.
Cordially, Monte
I visited Puerto Rico in 2009 and Marmalade was fantastic then. At that time, they started each meal with a tiny cup of this soup, about two swallows’ worth. They also handed out the recipe since they had so many requests for it. Sadly I lost my copy, so I’m really glad to have run across this website. This soup is indeed my most favorite thing from visiting the island, although Panetela is a close second. I was so happy to have found the recipe and make believers out of my family!
Dear Noelle, I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! I vividly remember the evening I went to Marmalade and enjoyed this decadent and wonderful soup. I am so glad you found us.And I am happy to report that Marmalade is still 5 stars! Warm regards, Monte
What a very special restaurant. Our son, Chazz brought us there when we were visiting him in Puerto Rico. I was thrilled when the waiter gave me the recipe for the bean soup. He suggested that I strain it through cheesecloth to make it smooth. I have made the soup and it is delicious but would love to know if there is a trick to straining the soup through cheesecloth.
Dear Sabrina, I too remember the restaurant fondly. As to straining the soup through cheesecloth, here’s what I discovered.https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-strain-with-a-cheesecloth/ Hope this helps!
Thank you
You are more than welcome. Please share our blog with your foodie friends! There’s a link to do it at the top of every page. Cheers! Monte