Bean Soup

[Deb2of9]

I decided that it was time to learn some of the dried beans my daughter has talked me into getting. I agree they are something that will not only be good for my preps, but good for my budget. It has been time and laziness that has me not trying them so far. However, with me out of work, money is tight and we are using stuff I have in my preps to avoid spending more than I need to. ( And to allow me to rotate some of the stuf I just don't seem to use much.) So I had my older daughter to show me how she makes bean soup. I actually like bean soup, but never make it. It came out okay, but my younger daughter is complaining that it too bland. I agree that it could use a little more flavor, but I am not sure what to do about it. So I am looking for a different Bean soup recipe to try, that might have a little more flavor to it. I think part of the reason that it may have lacked some flavor is that I used canned ham. I was trying to make it a strictly out of my preps meal, so that meant canned ham instead of a real ham like my daughter used in hers. That might have led to some of the blander taste. For when I tried it next time, I want to see if there is another recipe that my daughter would like more. Not only is money tight now, but I really want to make sure that I can do more with what I put in my preps than I have been. Next is learning how to make bread. I can make decent meals with everything else i stock up on, it is just dried beans and making things from scratch like breads that I have to work on. I have talked to my daughter who does make almost everything from scratch and even sometimes bakes her own bread to show me how to make things that I either don't know how to make or have forgotten. Over the past 20 years or so I have become too dependent on pre packaged processed quick fix foods. Even what I used to know how to make from scratch I have forgotten how to. So while I look for work, I am taking the time to become more self sufficient and learn how to work with the most basic ingredients. I figure tight money but lots of free time is a good time to add to my knowledge, especially as I can't add much to my supplies.

 

I appreciate any recipes that might help her to learn to like things like bean soup more. As it is, she is unhappy that I made a big pot of it. She says she doesn't want to have to keep eating it for a while. I told her I was sharing with my brother who is out of work and freezing some for later. She won't have to eat it for days and days.

[TheCG]

I made lentil soup - celery, onion, carrots, garlic (any or all of those could be dried, but I like to use fresh stuff and brown it), veggie stock, and lentils. Cook the lentils about 30 minutes until they start to get mushy-ish, then drain them. Toss everything else in the pot. Turn it on simmer-ish until things turn mushy (30 minutes or so). I added a bit of salt and cayenne. I liked it. Mom ate some, even though she normally doesn't like lentil soup. I think Dad refused to taste it based on the fact that it was lentil soup. Could add rice or pasta or something to stretch it.

[Violet]

I think bean soup is better flavored with some bay leaves added. I also add the carrot, onion, and celery. Sometimes if I add just a pat of butter it tastes better.

You should be able to season your soup up and have it taste better. At least you are learning. Good job !

Bread is easy to make. Just dump all the dry things, including dry yeast in a big bowl. Add an egg, water, milk, or whatever you are adding and knead it some. I like honey in my bread much better than sugar.

 

[Tiger]

What kind of beans? Any in particular?

Also does your daughter like spicy food?

 

Here's a good one:

 

Cajun 15-Bean Soup

 

bacon (turkey or regular), ham or ham hocks (optional) - (I've also used turkey broth made from a turkey carcass as flavoring in substitution for part of the water)

20 ounces dried mixed beans (you can find these prepackaged in most grocery stores), rinsed - you can also make your own bean mix

12 cups water

1 large chopped onion or as many little onions as you like

1 rib celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 clove garlic -- minced

juice of one lemon

15-ounce can stewed tomatoes (or 1 to 2 cans Rotel depending upon how much you like tomatoes)

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1 1/2 teaspoons salt -- or to taste

cajun/creole seasoning (optional) to taste

 

Soak beans overnight. Drain. If you are using bacon (optional), cook in a large stock pot. Then brown the onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in the stockpot. Add the beans to the pot with 12 cups of water. (At this point, you can transfer the whole mess to a crockpot if you like.) Cook until beans are almost tender. Add spices and stewed tomatoes. Simmer until tender. Add liquid smoke and salt at end. Serve over rice.

 

Sometimes I add whole dried hot peppers at the same time I put the beans and water in the pot.

[Deb2of9]

All good suggestions. I think the carrots and celery would go good, although we added onion, we maybe didn't use enough. My older daughter told me what spices she put in, but she added them. She is used to making a much bigger pot of them and might have cut down more on the spices than she needed to for the difference in ammounts. Also I do not like real spicey food and she might have cut down on the spcies some for that reason as well. My younger daughter ( who complained about the taste) loves spicey foods. That is probably part of the problem. I think I will have to try both the lentil and the Cajun soup on her. As for the beans, this time I used white northern beans. That is what my older daughter mostly uses, although she does switch to other beans as well. With a limited income and 7 kids, she does try to stretch her budget as much as she can. That is why I went to her for help.

 

[Ambergris]

I would fry the ham. It makes a big difference.

[GirlNextDoor]

Two things that make a huge difference is carmelization (usage?) of meats and adding just a bit of fat of some type for "mouth feel". Amount of pepper is according to taste.

[bluegrassmom]

So many ways to cook beans. If I'm doing a mixed bean soup I usually add a can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings. Even if I don't use the tomatoes, I'll still put my own Italian seasonings in the soup. Lots of garlic, onions and a squirt of lemon juice. Yeah, it sounds odd, but it works. Bacon is great in bean soup but my favorite is bacon, pintos and kidney bean soup. Just like the bacon with the pintos and kidney beans.

 

Another thing I do it if I cook a meat one night and have alot of pan drippings from it, I"ll put the drippings in the fridge and the next time I put beans in the crockpot I put the drippings in as part of the liquid. That really makes it extra yummy! And nothing - not even pan drippings gets wasted.

 

I also usually drop 2 or 3 beef boullion cubes in the crockpot with my beans as well.