But because I'd forgotten to soak my beans yesterday, I had to improvise with canned beans and prechopped veggies -- and it turned out seriously yummy.
Here's what I did:
I bought a bag of chopped mirepoix veggies from the freezer section at Kroger -- chopped onion, carrots and celery. I was in a hurry to get dinner started, because I was behind on my usual cooking time, and this seemed an easy way to get veggies into the mix without having to chop and prep.
And boy, was it ever easy.
I put a tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of my large Dutch oven, and heated it over medium-high heat. Then I tossed in the bag of frozen, chopped veggies along with a teaspoon of minced garlic. As this was softening, I stirred occasionally, and also scrubbed up a couple of small, red-skinned potatoes which I diced small and added to the pot.
Then I poured in a carton of reduced-sodium, fat free chicken broth, and a couple of mugs full of water as well.
I added a meaty ham shank that I pulled from my freezer (you can find these in the ham area at our local grocery store usually) -- this adds a nice flavor to the stock, but you can also fake it with a little liquid smoke if you want a vegetarian alternative but still want the smoky flavor with the beans.
Then I dumped in 3 cans of navy beans, that I rinsed and drained first to remove excess salt.
Toss in a bay leaf, a spring of fresh rosemary, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, and a sprig of fresh sage, and then let it simmer on the stove for about 2 and a half hours.
After it had cooked for a long while, I removed the herb twigs and the ham shank. I mashed the beans and veggies against the side of the pot to get that thicker, long-simmered texture that I love, and then added in some finely diced ham (you could leave this out for a veg soup). I tasted the broth, and adjusted salt and pepper to taste at that point.
We ate this with a slice of whole wheat bread and it was perfect for yesterday evening's cool, damp weather. The best part is leftovers again for today. Yum!
On a dreary day, a warm mug of soup really is like a dose of sunshine for me. Hope you like this one...
(Photo via anthonychammond.)
4 comments:
ooo that sounds yummy. i've been thinking of making a pot of pinto beans with hamhocks... but the down side is there is just me at home and i'll end up eating those beans for a week.
betcha i end up getting a pot brewing on the stove within the next week or so. the nights are getting crisper and its time for some stick to your ribs warm ya from the inside out food.
I hear you, Suzanne. This is the time of year that I crave a big pot of pinto or cranberry beans, with a side of fried potatoes and some cornbread.
I come from old WV hillbilly stock, the sort that came over the Virginia mountains in a covered wagon and set up a farm with their bare hands in the middle of the wilderness. In our family, the sort of "grub" you could grow and store for yourself meant survival and was held in very high esteem. Still make my cornbread from my granny's recipe with buttermilk, the way her mother taught her, the way her mother...and the way I'll teach The Peanut to make it, too, no doubt.
yup -- you know :)
my mom is from eastern kentucky - love her beans, fried 'taters, and cornbread. btw, turns out egregious and my mom are 5th cousins -- we discovered the connection when eg read my granny's obit and recognized a name and county.
we come from hardy stock, folks who made do because the alternative was unacceptable, like your folks did. i like to think of myself as a survivor who comes from a lost list of survivors.
errrr LONG list of survivors.. not lost list
need more coffee
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