Eatdrink #63 January/February 2017

58 www.eatdrink.ca
I’d never heard of Malaysian Laksa before,
but it’s full of the southeast Asian flavours I
love, and I was intrigued. This soup would
be reason enough to start an indoor herb
garden, just to have the fresh mint and
cilantro on hand. I could eat a bowl of this
spicy soup to help me cool down in summer
or to stave off a cold in winter. (I know that
probably doesn’t work but it makes me feel
like I’m doing something.)
№ 63 | January/February 2017
I started bookmarking all the recipes I
wanted to try in this book but it was soon
bristling with sticky notes and I couldn’t
read it anymore. I think it’s going to be
easier just to work my way through the book
over the winter. See you in the spring!
TRACY TURLIN is a freelance writer and dog groomer in
London. Reach her at tracyturlin@gmail.com.
Recipes and photos excerpted from Soups, Stews & Breads, by Jill Wilcox with Josie Pontarelli.
Hearty Bean and Bacon Soup
Serves 8 to 10
1 lb (500 g) dry white pea beans
6 slices of thick bacon, diced
2 cooking onions, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
8 cups (2L) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 28-oz. (796 ml) can plum tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 In a large saucepan, combine the beans and
enough water to cover by at least 2 in. (5 cm).
Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let
stand 60 minutes.
2 While the beans are soaking, cook bacon in a
soup pot over medium heat until golden. Add
onions, celery and carrot, and cook until tender.
3 Drain the soaked beans. Add beans to the onioncelery
mixture along
with chicken stock
and bay leaf. Bring
to a simmer and
cook until beans are
tender, about 50 to
60 minutes. You will
need to add more
stock or water as the
soup cooks.
4 Add the tomatoes
with their juice and
heat through. Add
additional stock or
water if necessary.
Remove bay leaf.
Partially purée
with an immersion
blender.
5. Season with salt
and pepper to taste.