cooking

Zesty White Bean Soup

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

This all-vegetable soup, made with the old-fashioned simple white bean, is seasoned with Southwestern flavors. Note that removing a cup or so of the cooked mixture to purée and return to the pot is what gives this delicious soup its appealing creamy texture. You can do this with most any bean soup. Serving this soup over rice is optional, but makes it a nutritious main dish.

Ingredients:

* 1 pound dried white beans

* 1/4 (one quarter) cup extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 1/2 (and one half) cups chopped onion

* 4 cloves garlic, minced

* 2 large jalapeño peppers, minced

* 1 red bell pepper, chopped

* 1/2 (one half) cup chopped carrots

* 8 cups water

* 1 tsp oregano leaves

* 2 large bay leaves

* 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*

* 2 tsp salt, or to taste

* 1/2 (one half) tsp sugar

* 3 T chopped fresh cilantro

* 2 T lemon or lime juice

* Hot pepper sauce, to taste

* 2 cups cooked rice

Instructions

* Rinse and drain the beans. Place in a pot and cover with 2 inches water. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for one hour. Drain and rinse well.

* Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Sauté the onion, garlic and peppers in the oil, stirring, for five minutes. Pour in the beans.

* Add the carrots, water, oregano and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for one-and-a-half hours or until the beans are tender but not falling apart.

* Stir in the tomatoes, salt and sugar. Cook 30 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves.

* Scoop out one cup of the beans with a bit of the liquid. Purée in the food processor or blender. Return to the pot.

* Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice. Cook two minutes more. Taste and correct the seasonings. Add some hot pepper sauce if more spice is desired.

* Serve over a spoonful of cooked rice.

* When tomatoes are out of season, substitute two cups of diced, canned plum tomatoes.

Baked Bean Soup

Serves 10 to 12

This recipe came from my good pal Gene Archbold of Covington. Archbold is a great cook who played a big role in convincing me to write my first cookbook. Baked Bean Soup is one of his favorite soup recipes that he actually acquired and adapted from a good friend of his. Though there are no baked beans in this recipe, it's the flavor that gave it its name. And here's a little bean trivia for you - navy beans are so named because they have been a common dish served to sailors in the U.S. Navy since the mid 1800s.

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds dried navy beans

* 2 T brown sugar

* 1 T Worcestershire sauce

* 1 T Hoisin sauce

* 2 cups beef broth

* 2 T spicy brown mustard

* Water, enough to cover the beans in a pan

* 3 T butter or vegetable oil

* 2 large yellow onions, chopped

* 1 green pepper, chopped

* 1 clove garlic, minced

* 16 ounces tomato sauce

* 2 T red wine vinegar

* 1 cup dry red wine

* Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

* Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Pour off the water and rinse the beans.

* Place the beans in a large, heavy pot. Add the sugar, Worcestershire, Hoisin, broth and mustard. Add enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches.

* Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the onions, green pepper and garlic. Add to the pot.

* Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one-and-a-half to two hours, or until beans are tender. Add the tomato sauce, vinegar and wine and cook 30 minutes longer.

* Season to taste with salt and pepper.

* Serve hot.

posted by rahul @ 7:54 PM