Italian Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Boil one cup cold baked beans, or more, in a pint of water until they are like porridge.
Strain the beans and mix with one-half can strained tomatoes, a piece of butter, a great spoonful of sugar, a little salt, and pepper, then cook well together.
Add pork if present; the more, the better.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Baked beans
- Form the thick, porridge-like body of the soup once boiled and strained.
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Add acidity and body that balance the sweetness of the beans.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds richness and a rounder, smoother mouthfeel to the soup.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness that offsets the acidity of the tomatoes.
The step that matters
Boil the beans until they are like porridge. Beans must break down fully to create a smooth, thick base. Under-cooked beans stay firm and grainy, so the soup will not thicken or blend properly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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