Bean Soup today

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puzzleannie

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parishioner gave us a whole ham, so I cooked it yesterday for the catechist’s luncheon, but I am using to bone to make soup today. whole cloves & cinnamon, celery, carrot, onion, red & green pepper, garlic, dried red chilis, bay leaves, parsley. Emptied some catchup, BBQ sauce, salsa & vinegar bottles (a little bit of acid brings the protein out of the bone and a little sugar enhances the other flavors). It smells wonderful. It has been cooking for 2 hours and is a rich brown color. I am going to drain it, discard the veggies and seasonings, and chill so I can skim off the fat.

Now my question is what kind of beans should I use?

I am thinking great northern, with added celery, carrot, onion & parsley. What say you?
 
puzzleannie said:
parishioner gave us a whole ham, so I cooked it yesterday for the catechist’s luncheon, but I am using to bone to make soup today. whole cloves & cinnamon, celery, carrot, onion, red & green pepper, garlic, dried red chilis, bay leaves, parsley. Emptied some catchup, BBQ sauce, salsa & vinegar bottles (a little bit of acid brings the protein out of the bone and a little sugar enhances the other flavors). It smells wonderful. It has been cooking for 2 hours and is a rich brown color. I am going to drain it, discard the veggies and seasonings, and chill so I can skim off the fat.

Now my question is what kind of beans should I use?

I am thinking great northern, with added celery, carrot, onion & parsley. What say you?
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I like using navy beans. They’re a little smaller than northerns. I usually make navy bean using just beans with a ham bone and onion, perhaps some sliced carrot and a bay leaf. (Since you’re in Texas, maybe you have to add chili and hot spices.:tanning:)

Most beans require soaking over-night before cooking. You can short-cut that by pouring boiled water over the beans to soak, but that still needs to soak a few hours before cooking. Lentils or split peas make a good soup similar to bean soup but they don’t require soaking. Edit: duh,:doh2: you can use canned beans, which don’t need soaking.
 
no it will be canned beans, but lentils sounds like a great idea, I haven’t had them in ages. I also thought about getting a bag of split peas. Can’t find navy beans here that are not loaded with salt and pork, so it will probably be mix of great northern, small red and black beans, 1 can each (low sodium, organic). If I get out, I may buy a bag of lentils instead. I only use the red chilis for the stock, and the beans absorb a lot of the heat and other spices, making it much milder, just enough kick for a cold day.

Weather has been so miserable, cold and rainy, 40s-50s, it just seems like a soup day, but now the sun is shining. We will probably nosh on this until Christmas eve, found some great whole grain rolls yesterday and we will eat up the salad stuff.
 
It’s funny to read this. I put on some beans and barley to soak last night so I could make bean soup for dinner. I’m also contemplating baking some home made whole wheat bread to go with it.
 
Puzzleannie, have you thought about using black beans? They would be delicious with the ham and chilis. I learned to enjoy black beans when we lived in Cuba. You won’t have to soak them, if you use canned beans. Isn’t it wonderful to be given a whole ham! Merry Christmas!
 
I normally use yellow split peas when I cook ham bone soup. I use lentils with the stock from a turkey carcass.

When making ham bone soup, along with the split peas, I add a can of creamed corn, potatoes (cut into cubes), carrots, celery and onions. I usually add a small amount of hot Caribbean pepper sauce, too. I may also add some local (Trinidadian) ground provision - sweet potato, dasheen, and one or two others. My husband likes it if I also make dumplings. If I do, there will be two types - the local chewy dumplings (no raising agent) and the ones I like - fluffy, with baking powder.

Mmmm … I’m looking forward to ham bone soup and I am still defrosting the ham!
 
PuzzleA, i don’t care what kind of beans you use. just wait for me, please. i’ll bake a good loaf of honey wheat early in the morning, and bring it with a pound of good butter.

seriously, split pea soup is christmas eve dinner at our house. i never heard the vinegar tip before but i’ll use it this year.
 
I haven’t tried vinegar, but for me, the magical combination is beans, garlic and lemon!

Betsy
 
dulcissima said:
It’s funny to read this. I put on some beans and barley to soak last night so I could make bean soup for dinner. I’m also contemplating baking some home made whole wheat bread to go with it.
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Funny you mention this. I was at the grocery last night and had a package of barley in my hand, but put it back because I never cooked with it before and had no idea how to make it. What kind of recipe do you use? I do love barley, I’d like to know how to cook it.
 
samovila said:
Funny you mention this. I was at the grocery last night and had a package of barley in my hand, but put it back because I never cooked with it before and had no idea how to make it. What kind of recipe do you use? I do love barley, I’d like to know how to cook it.
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I just soaked it along with the beans overnight and cooked it right with them.

My boyfriend makes it as a hot breakfast cereal though. He says you have to boil it and let it cool over and over again or you can soak it overnight which speeds up the process. He will add stuff like candied ginger or anijsblokjes (which are like sugar cubes flavored with anise) when he cooks it. It takes forever, but tastes good and is very nutritious.
 
dulcissima said:
I just soaked it along with the beans overnight and cooked it right with them.

My boyfriend makes it as a hot breakfast cereal though. He says you have to boil it and let it cool over and over again or you can soak it overnight which speeds up the process. He will add stuff like candied ginger or anijsblokjes (which are like sugar cubes flavored with anise) when he cooks it. It takes forever, but tastes good and is very nutritious.
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So you soak it and cook it and add it to soups the same way you do beans? Nothing different? I’ll grab some the next time I’m out shopping. My Great Aunt Rosie used to make a wonderful beef and barley dish. Maybe I’ll try to experiment.
 
That’s what I did. I don’t normally cook with it. It is a pretty hardy grain and I think the only way to go wrong with it is to undercook it. Beef and barley does sound soooo good.
 
I usually throw a handful of barley in my vegetable soup about an hour before it’s done. Love it!

Betsy
 
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