Caribbean Bean Soup

What is a Caribbean bean? Well the most popular beans in Caribbean cooking are black beans and red beans. However, this soup isn't only about the beans; it uses several other Caribbean flavors: garlic, cumin, lime, and cilantro.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 2 cans black or red beans, or one pound of cooked dried beans

Toppings

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sweat the onion, carrots, jalapeno, and garlic with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes, until the carrot has softened (do not let the vegetables brown, turn heat to medium-low if necessary). Meanwhile, puree the beans with the chicken broth in a blender*. Add to the softened vegetable mixture. Raise heat to medium until simmering. Reduce to medium-low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve in soup bowls, topping with sour cream and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

*Note: If you like the texture of whole beans in your soup, only puree half of the beans with the broth. Add the un-pureed beans to the soup as soon as you add the bean/broth mixture.

Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Soup

In my mind, the Fall is soup time! When I lived in Europe, I found they enjoyed soups made from pureed vegetables far more than we do here, and that is a shame. When you blend a soup, it gets a thick and creamy texture that is very comforting on a rainy autumn day. Since squash is in season, you should take advantage of the awesome flavor profile that comes from adding it to a warm bowl of comfort food. -Jake

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 2 packages mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. curry powder (I like McCormick brand)
• 1 tsp. paprika (hot or sweet)
• 1/2 tsp. turmuric
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy stew pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Sweat the cauliflower, onion, and butternut squash with the pepper, curry powder, paprika, and turmeric for 5-8 minutes or until everything is slightly softened. Add salt, red pepper, and enough water to cover - around 4 cups (which will vary based on the size of your vegetables & your vessel). Bits of the veggies may stick up out of the water (it's better to have too little water than too much, because you can always thin it out later if you want). Bring to a boil and simmer until everything is cooked, about 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile (while sweating and boiling the veggies), in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon then saute the mushrooms in the bacon fat over medium high heat until dark brown in color.

Take the veggies off the heat. Use a stick blender to puree the soup until smooth. Chop bacon into bits and add with mushrooms. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Mashed Potato Soup

The French have a soup called Vichyssoise, where potatoes and leeks are pureed with cream and chicken stock. It is a very refined (almost snooty) dish that is actually very popular served cold. In Portugal, the most popular soup is called Caldo Verde which, like Vichyssoise, is made with pureed potato, but has other vegetables (like cabbage) and sausage added. This is a soup of the people - hearty and flavorful. I think I have found a way to combine the two styles. I use mashed potatoes instead of puree, since I like the added texture. I also use bacon bits (lardons in French) instead of sausage, but you could probably use any pork product you like!

Ingredients

• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 leeks, trimmed, washed, and chopped
• 4 carrots, washed and diced small
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 pound washed, stemmed, and chopped kale (you could use cabbage or collard greens)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt
• white pepper
• crispy crumbled bacon

Directions

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan. Add just enough broth to submerge and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 10-20 minutes, or until they are just cooked through, but not mushy or falling apart.

Meanwhile, melt the butter with the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots, and onions with one teaspoon kosher salt. Sweat (no browning!) over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the leeks and carrots are softened.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain and reserve the broth. Mash the potatoes with a hand masher. Add to the pot with other softened vegetables along with all 4 cups of broth. Simmer, stirring gently, for 2 minutes or until everything is well integrated. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Add the kale and cook for 5-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is just cooked (still firm, but not crunchy). Serve with a tablespoon of bacon crumbles on top of each bowl.

Three Bean Stew

So I'm putting on my Seinfeld hat: What's the deal with three bean salad? Why don't we ever see other foods with three beans: Three bean burritos? Three bean baked beans? Three bean hummus? If three beans is good for salad, we must make it good for other things too - like stew! I love bean stew. Normally you see soups and stews with only one kind of bean: canellini (minestrone), pinto (chili), red (jambalaya). Well here we have it: Three Bean Stew. The base recipe is vegetarian, but you could add grilled and sliced sausage (like kielbasa), bacon bits, or ham (practically any pork product!) if you wanted some extra meaty goodness.

Ingredients

• 2/3 of a cup each of dried pinto beans, red beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 8 cups of water (use filtered if your tap water tastes funny)
• 2-4 cups leftover vegetable parts (celery and bell pepper tops, carrot sticks, onion slices, parsley stems, or other aromatic veggies, see note below), roughly chopped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup each of onion, celery, carrot, and red bell pepper, cut into a large dice
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (from half a lemon)

Directions

Soak the beans in the water overnight. Make sure that as the beans soak up the water, there is enough to keep them fully submerged at all times. Do not let the beans soak for more than 24 hours or they will start to become mushy and flavorless.

Put the leftover veggies, bay leaves, and garlic in a cotton stuffing bag. Put the veggie bag, beans (with their soaking water), and 2 tablespoons kosher salt together in a stock pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours, or until the beans are cooked, adding more water as necessary to keep them covered. (They will not be a mushy as canned beans. They should have a pleasant toothiness when cooked correctly, but they will not be crunchy.) Remove the veggie bag and discard (the veggies, that is, not the bag - it can be washed and reused). Drain the beans in a colander, catching the cooking broth in a bowl. Reserve the beans and broth for later.

Heat the olive oil in the stock pot over medium heat. Sweat the remaining diced veggies with a heavy pinch of kosher salt for 3-5 minutes, or until the carrot starts to soften but is still a little crunchy (do not brown the veggies - turn the heat down to medium low if necessary to avoid frying or sauteeing). Using a fine mesh strainer, sift the flour over the veggies, stirring to evenly coat them. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the flour starts to brown, another 3-5 minutes. Slowly pour in all but 1/2 cup of the broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the thyme, sage, and pepper. Add all but 1/4 cup of the beans and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, blend together the reserved beans and broth in a blender or food processor and pour the mixture back into the stew (you can skip this step and just pour all the broth and beans into the stew if a thinner consistency is desired). Season with more salt and pepper to taste, add the lemon juice, and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, until the stew reaches a desired thickness (it will thicken slightly as it cools). Remove from heat and serve over rice with hot sauce on the side.

Note

Cooking the beans with the leftover veggie parts basically turns the bean cooking liquid into veggie broth, saving you from having to buy some and using up a bunch of vegetables you were probably going to throw away. If you don't have any leftover veggies (for example, you gave them all to your potbellied pig), you could add 1-2 cups of vegetable broth to the soaking liquid before boiling the beans, as well as using additional broth to top off the beans if too much liquid cooked into the beans or evaporated. Back to ingredients.

Beef Stew

One of the most economical ways to cook is to use bones to make homemade stock. You can get beef soup bones from the butcher very cheaply, plus they add texture and flavor that you can't get from canned beef broth.

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs beef bones
• 2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, plus extra for the bones
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced fine
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups water
• 4 small red potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsely
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Turn on the broiler. Lightly oil the bones and brown on a sheet pan under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, tossing occasionally to evenly brown all sides. Remove from the oven and set the oven for 250 degrees.

Toss the stew meat in 2 tablespoons of the oil and half the salt. Heat a large dutch oven over high heat. Quickly brown the meat, working in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Put the meat on a clean plate and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Brown the onions, carrots, and celery with the remaining salt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds and evenly sift on the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the flour is just started to brown. Slowly stir in the water and bring to a full simmer. Add the potatoes, pepper, and bay leaves. Cook in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. Remove the bones. If there is any meat or marrow on them, cut/scrape it off and stir back into the stew. Stir in the parsley, thyme, and lemon juice. Serve over rice or pasta.

Sausage and Cabbage Stew

Slow-Cooker recipes are nice when dinnertime is busy but you've got free time earlier in the day. I especially like vegetables, which get sweet and savory when slow-cooked.

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds savory sausage such as Andouille or Kielbasa
• 2 large carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2-3 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 red onion, frenched or julienned
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped or julienned (about 2 cups total)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Brown the sausage in a skillet set over medium-high heat. When browned, remove from skillet and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Put sausage, carrots, potatoes, onion, and broth and cook in a slow cooker set on high for 3-4 hours (6-8 hours for low). In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage with the kosher salt and let sit for 2 minutes. Dump the contents of the bowl into the slow cooker and simmer for another 10-20 minutes on high.

Boiled Dinner

Common throughout New England, the boiled dinner is both economical and tasty. I definitely do not reserve this dish only for St. Patrick's Day - that's not nearly frequent enough for me!

Ingredients

• One Corned Beef Brisket, store bought or prepared according to Monday's recipe.
• 1 tablespoon black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 pound chopped carrots
• 1/2 pound chopped onion
• 1 pound red potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 pound chopped celery
• 1 small head cabbage (about 2 pounds), chopped

Directions

Thoroughly rinse the brisket under cold running water. Place the brisket, pepper, allspice, and bay in a large stock pot (at least 8 quarts in volume), with 3 quarts (12 cups) of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for 2 1/2 hours.

Add potatoes, carrots, and onions. Return to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are just fork-tender. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Note
This might seem like it makes a ridiculous amount of dinner. Do not despair - leftover corned beef hash is good enough to justify making this dinner just for the leftovers!

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Why go out and get the all you can eat soup and breadsticks at a well-known Italian restaurant chain when you can make a soup that tastes just as good for a fraction of the cost at home? All you have to do is buy some ready-made breadstick dough (and bake them!) and you've got a great Italian meal.
Ingredients

• 8 ounces hot (or mild) Italian sausage, casings removed and broken up into small pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) white beans (undrained)
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves or chopped kale (I prefer the kale)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (topping)

Directions

Cook sausage, onion, bell pepper, and carrot in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the sausage is no longer pink. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes, or until the carrots start to soften. Add the canned white beans along with their canning liquid. Bring to a simmer and add spinach or kale. The spinach will wilt rather quickly (just a couple of minutes) but if using kale, simmer for another 5-10 minutes, or untill the kale is as cooked as you like it. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Pour into serving bowls and top with cheese.

We leave the Parmesan cheese off the 3A's 

Leftovers

I'm still on vacation, so you're getting a post by proxy. Are you trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your leftover turkey and such? Well the Food Network's Alton Brown had a whole show devoted to dealing with that stuff. I just hope you saved the turkey carcass for soup! Check out http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/the-remains-of-the-bird/index.html

We'll be back to real recipes on Wednesday.

Tomato and Barley Soup

I love tomato soup. It is one of America's true comfort foods. Using roasted tomatoes intensifies the tomato flavor, and adding barley gives it an earthiness and body that makes it even better.

Ingredients

• 3 cans (14 ounces each) fire roasted tomatoes, with juice
  
• 24 ounces beef broth (use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 1 cup quick-cooking barley (uncooked)
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, ground in mortar or blender
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions
Place tomatoes (with juice), broth, garlic, barley, rosemary, and Italian seasoning in a large pot. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly (about 3 minutes). Add fresh basil, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If fresh basil is not available, you may use 1 teaspoon dried basil, added with the Italian seasoning.

Serving Suggestions (Try one or all of them!)

• Add fresh pasta and simmer for another 3 minutes (or until al dente, 7-8 minutes for dried pasta)
• Put a 1/4 cup of cooked (or canned and rinsed) white beans in each serving bowl before pouring in soup
• Top with freshly toasted sourdough croutons and Parmesan cheese
  

Quick Lunch

I'm trying to post 3 times a week. I haven't come up with anything new, so I thought I’d share a lunch idea I had about a year ago:

Meatball Ramen

Ingredients:

1 Package Ramen Noodles (I used beef flavor, but chicken or oriental would work too)
1 Package Aidells Teriyaki Meatbals
2 Cups Water

Instructions:

Put Ramen (with seasoning packet) in small saucepan with water and simmer until the noodles just begin to soften. Add meatballs and simmer until heated through. Serve (or, if you're me at home by myself on a Saturday afternoon, just eat out of the pot while standing over the sink!) Yum.