No Soup for You

Last night I made another batch of my bean soup whose recipe has evolved over the last year or so. I was bragging too much about the results, and eventually some peer pressure has convinced me to share the trade secret with everybody...

Hardware

• Large stock pot
• Saute pan
• Medium sized pot
• Large electric slow-cook pot (optional)
• Pepper mill

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried pinto beans
• 4 ounces dried garbanzo beans
• 5-6 red potatoes
• 6 ounces chopped carrots
• 5-6 pearl onions, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces frozen stir-frying vegetables (snowpea pods, regular peas, baby corn, etc)
• 2 capfuls Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle seasonings
• Crushed red pepper
• Black peppercorns grinder
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

Beans: Wash all dried beans and place into stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover for an hour to allow beans to expand. Then add chipotle seasonings and (to taste) crushed red pepper. Return to heat and boil as gently as possible for 2 hours. Check every ~30 minutes to make sure enough liquid is present to prevent scorching (add water as needed).

Potatoes: About 30 minutes before beans finish cooking, scrub or peel the potatoes and cube them as if making mashed potatoes. Place into medium pot and add cold water to cover potatoes. Put on burner and bring to boil, then continue boiling until "fork-tender" (approximately 10 minutes). Drain water from potatoes, season with lots of freshly ground pepper, and cover to preserve heat.

Onions: 10 minutes before beans finish cooking, put saute pan on medium heap and add olive oil. When heated, add onions and crank on lots of coarsely ground black pepper. Sweat for 5-6 minutes.

When beans, potatoes, and onions are finished, combine them into stewing vessel. If electric pot is available, use it; otherwise, the stock pot already used by beans will serve. Add chopped carrots and frozen vegetables. If desired, add some whole peppercorns for additional seasoning. Add enough water to cover ingredients.

Bring the mixture to the lowest boil possible (high if you're using the electric gadget) for about 2 hours to soften carrots slightly. Lower heat to simmer (low on the gadget) and cook for at least 3-4 more hours. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

The result was quite tasty. I think I'll open a restaurant so that I can use the line.