HUNGARIAN GREEN BEAN AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Spray a large soup pot with cooking spray, put in it the beans, potatoes, stock, vinegar, honey, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a ten-inch skillet. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the celery, saute another 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat slightly, and sprinkle the vegetables with the paprika. Let the mixture cook a minute, stirring constantly. Scrape the sauteed vegetables into the soup pot. Add a little soup liquid to the skillet and deglaze it, then scrape the pan contents into the soup pot. Remove the soup pot from the heat.
• When ready to serve, have the soup good and hot. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and mix it to make a smooth paste, using your fingers if necessary. Stir this paste into the yogurt. Whisk a ladle of the hot bean stock into the yogurt-cornstarch mixture. Turn down the heat under the soup as low as possible, and stir the cornstarch-stabilized yogurt into the very hot soup.Using a wooden spoon, stir gently until the soup has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings (including honey and vinegar), if necessary, and to be sure there is no raw cornstarch taste. Serve hot with a rustic bread.