Contest-Winning Three Bean Soup

Presidents Day weekend brought a brief warm spell — temperatures above freezing for two days, which in February Vermont feels like a gift of dubious provenance, because it almost never means what you want it to mean. It means mud. The driveway, frozen solid since December, turned into a surface of uncertain loyalty. Frost refused to go out the back door on Sunday, which showed better judgment than usual.

I made my mother's pot of split pea soup this week. Split pea soup is a February food: it requires long cooking, it is the color of nothing beautiful, and it tastes like comfort without apology. Ham hock in the pot first, covered with water and brought to a simmer. Skim. Add the soaked peas, an onion halved, two carrots, a bay leaf, black pepper in quantity. Low heat for two hours. By then the ham has given everything it has to give. Pull it, shred the meat, discard the bone, return the meat to the pot. Add salt carefully, because the ham has salted it already. Serve with the brown bread. This is February solved.

I have been thinking about my grandfather's photograph from the sugarhouse — the four men from the 1930s whose names I do not know. I mentioned at the Historical Society talk that I should find out who the other men were, and the woman who was writing the paper on microclimates sent me a letter last week. She had done some research. One of the men is likely Amos Plante, who ran the farm adjacent to ours until 1945. One might be his brother-in-law. She doesn't know the fourth. She enclosed a photocopy of a town record from 1938 with a reference to Bergstrom's sugarbush. Someone was keeping track.

Helen read the letter twice and said it was exactly the kind of thing I should write about for the blog. I said I was not sure anyone wanted to read about a photograph from the 1930s. She said I had no idea what people wanted to read. She is almost certainly correct about this. She is usually correct about what I should be writing.

Five weeks until maple season. The peas are done. The soup is done. February is almost done.

The split pea soup I described is my mother’s recipe and it belongs to her — I make it from memory and instinct and it is not quite mine to give away in print. But the spirit of it, that long-simmered bean soup that asks nothing of you except time and a low flame, is something I can point you toward. This three-bean version follows the same logic: start with good pork, build slowly, let the beans absorb everything the pot has to offer. It is February food by any name.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 50 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 meaty ham bone or 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 medium carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt to taste

Instructions

Build the base. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, combine the ham bone (or diced ham), chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. If using a ham bone, skim any foam that rises to the surface.
Add the vegetables. Stir in the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Add the bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add beans and tomatoes. Stir in all three cans of beans and the diced tomatoes with their juices. Return to a simmer and cook on low heat for another 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth thickens and the flavors have fully come together.
Finish the ham. If using a ham bone, remove it from the pot. Let it cool slightly, then pull any remaining meat from the bone, shred it, and return the meat to the pot. Discard the bone and bay leaf.
Season and serve. Taste before adding salt — the ham will have contributed significant saltiness already. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot with crusty bread or brown bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Contest-Winning Three Bean Soup — The February Soup That Solves Everything