Spicy
Bean Soup
This
soup is best made a day ahead, as it is simmered all day in a crockery cooker.
Turn it into a sausage soup by frying one pound of sausage before frying the
onions, drain off the fat. Sprinkle each serving with freshly ground Tellicherry
peppercorns and a pinch seasoning salt. Freeze individual portions for quick
meals.
2 cups 13-bean soup mix
10 cups water
6 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow
onion
8 cups water
⅓ cup sun dried
tomatoes in oil, sliced
2 tablespoons dried
parsley
1 (14 ˝-ounce) can
Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can
Italian tomato paste
⅓ cup Heinz®
chili sauce
1 (1 ˝-pound)
leftover ham bone from a Glazed Ham
2 dried bay leaves
2 dried red chiles (chile
de árbol)
2 teaspoons ground
cumin seeds
2 teaspoons dried
oregano
2 teaspoons garlic
salt
1 teaspoon chicken
base
˝ teaspoon ground
black pepper
Sour cream
Fresh parsley sprigs
for garnish
1.
Day 1: Soak beans in the 10 of
cups water for 24 hours.
2. Day 2: Drain the beans
and place them in a 12-quart stockpot
with 6 cups water.
Bring the beans to a boil over medium
heat. Cover and
turn off heat. Leave to steep, covered 1 hour
then drain and
rinse.
3. Stove
top method: In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the oil and fry
onions. Add 8 cups of water, drained beans, tomatoes,
parsley, undrained
tomatoes, tomato paste, chili sauce, ham
bone, bay leaves,
chiles, cumin, oregano, garlic salt, chicken
base and pepper.
Cook over low heat and add more water as
necessary. Stir
occasionally. This is more complicated than
the crockery
cooker method. The cooking time varies and can
take about 5 hours
for the beans to soften.
Crockery
cooker method: Set cooker on high, add 8 cups
water and the drained beans. Fry the onions in oil in a 10-inch
frying pan until
translucent. Add with the undrained
tomatoes, parsley,
tomato paste, chili sauce, ham bone, bay
leaves, chiles,
cumin, oregano, garlic salt, chicken base and
pepper. Cook for
6-8 hours or longer if needed. Taste some
of the soup to
test the texture of the beans.
4. Garnish:
Spoon sour cream into a small plastic bag. Snip off
a corner and
pipe a swirl pattern in soup. Pull a bamboo
skewer through
cream. Sprinkle with parsley.
Makes
8 servings