Congressional comfort food

Autumn leaves, rainy days and Mondays don’t always have to get you down. 

For us it just means that it’s time for real comfort food, and one of our favorites, Senate bean soup…in some circles or political persuasions, House of Representatives bean soup. Discovered on my first trip to Washington, DC, over 25 years ago, we’ve spent years fine-tuning the Capitol recipe and have finally become navy bean soup snobs. 

A souvenier refrigerator magnet for a Chesapeake Bay version is a great start.

Ingredients for 3 1/2 quarts:

1 lb navy beans - soaked overnight,

10.5 oz. consomme (we like organic chicken),

1 ham hock (we use organic, smoked hams slices), 

1 pressed garlic clove, and...

Well, just check out menu on right and improvise. 

Seems simple enough, and almost impossible to screw up, almost any version of the Congressional concoction would be both tasty as well as healthy – using local, organic ingredients. Today we substituted Organic Prairie Hardwood Smoked Ham for a ham hock.

Bean soup has been on the menu of the Senate and House restaurants (or more accurately cafeterias) since 1903. We became hooked in 1992 and have been working on perfecting this Navy bean side dish ever since, each year’s batch of beans, ham, vegetables, and spices better than the last.

And with a side of rosemary bread and butter, well...taste for yourself.