Three Bean and Root Vegetable Soup
I have discovered the joy of dried beans and root vegetables! I find the cheapest dry beans in the Mexican ethnic food area of my grocery store. I just made up this recipe today and it makes roughly 5qts of soup. But based on other soups I've made, this should freeze well.
5qt+ pot
1/2C each of dry: red kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans (or 1 can each of the beans)
Generous amount of olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6C water (if using stock, omit water)
2 turnips, wax peeled off and cubed
2 parsnips, wax peeled off and cubed
1/2-3/4C rutabaga, wax peeled off and cubed
1/2-3/4C celeriac, trimmed to flesh and chopped into roughly 1 inch square pieces
3 carrots, chopped into discs
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
3 cubes stock (I use CelifibR, its vegetarian with no MSG added. At my grocery store I find it in the natural foods area) or 6C chicken or vegetable stock.
1/2C red wine
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce when serving, if desired
Soak the beans according to the package in the 5qt pot, drain and set beans aside in a bowl. Pour in enough olive oil to fry the onions and garlic with. When oil is hot, add in the onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion starts to go limp. Add the garlic and let the onion cook until it is limp, but not brown. Add water and beans and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the stock cubes and stir. Once the stock cubes have been disolved, add in the bay leaves and all the vegetables except for the carrots. Reduce heat to a simmer for about a half hour and add the carrots, tomatoes and wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cook until the beans and vegetables are done.
Variation! I've made a similar version of this before using potatoes instead of root vegetables. Since the celery taste is nice, I'd probably chop up a couple ribs of celery and add them at the same time as the carrots.
5qt+ pot
1/2C each of dry: red kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans (or 1 can each of the beans)
Generous amount of olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6C water (if using stock, omit water)
2 turnips, wax peeled off and cubed
2 parsnips, wax peeled off and cubed
1/2-3/4C rutabaga, wax peeled off and cubed
1/2-3/4C celeriac, trimmed to flesh and chopped into roughly 1 inch square pieces
3 carrots, chopped into discs
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
3 cubes stock (I use CelifibR, its vegetarian with no MSG added. At my grocery store I find it in the natural foods area) or 6C chicken or vegetable stock.
1/2C red wine
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce when serving, if desired
Soak the beans according to the package in the 5qt pot, drain and set beans aside in a bowl. Pour in enough olive oil to fry the onions and garlic with. When oil is hot, add in the onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion starts to go limp. Add the garlic and let the onion cook until it is limp, but not brown. Add water and beans and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the stock cubes and stir. Once the stock cubes have been disolved, add in the bay leaves and all the vegetables except for the carrots. Reduce heat to a simmer for about a half hour and add the carrots, tomatoes and wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cook until the beans and vegetables are done.
Variation! I've made a similar version of this before using potatoes instead of root vegetables. Since the celery taste is nice, I'd probably chop up a couple ribs of celery and add them at the same time as the carrots.