BEAN WITH BACON SOUP

2 cups of dried navy, great north American or cannellini beans

10 strips of bacon, cut into tiny pieces
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp. (or more) of fresh rosemary, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Soak your beans overnight covered in water. Drain the next day and set aside.

2. In a large stockpot, add bacon to the pan and cook until bacon pieces are brown and crispy. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

3. If there's a lot of bacon grease in the pan, dump out all but 3 tbsp. of it.

4. Saute onion, garlic, and carrots in the bacon grease until vegetables start to get tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and cook for an addition 1 minute.

5. Gently pour in the chicken stock, drained beans and 5 strips of the bacon, crumbled. Whisk the tomato paste in until all has dispersed and incorporated into the soup. Add liquid smoke if using.

6. Bring mixture up to a boil then cover and let simmer gently for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.

7. When the soup is ready, carefully use your immersion blender and gently pulse the bean mixture until a desired creamy texture is achieved. If you're worried about blending too much, you can always ladle out a few scoopfuls of beans, blend the soup, then add the beans back in. Really, it's all up to preference!

8. Serve hot with remaining bacon pieces on top.