Recipe: Chick-Chickpea Stew

I was trying to follow a recipe, I swear. But it turned out that I was out of a couple of the items required and had to change it up at the last minute. I think the changes I made created a more interesting and tasty soup than the one I was trying to make. My partner in dinner swapping thought so too and requested the recipe...so before I forget what I did, here it is.

Chick-Chickpea Stew

2 cups dried chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans)
4 chicken thighs
Water
1 tsp. cumin
2 bay leaves
3-6 cloves of minced garlic
4 tbl. tomato paste
4-8 oz. pesto
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted red peppers
S&P

Soak the chickpeas for 3-4 hours (or plan for an extra hour or so of simmering time). Put the chickpeas in your large soup pot with the chicken thighs on top and just cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is done through. Remove the thighs and set aside to cool.

Add the cumin, bay leaves, garlic, and tomato paste. Mix throughly and cover to continue cooking the chickpeas. Mine simmered for about 30 minutes before the chickpeas we close to ready.

Shortly before serving, pull the meat off the chicken thighs and add to the soup. Stir in the pesto (I used Nettle Pesto I made this spring, but I think any pesto flavor would be good...if you are using something highly flavored like basil or cilantro, add it slowly to adjust the flavor as you go) and the roasted red peppers. Simmer for a few more minutes to mingle the flavors.

Serve with crusty bread and salad.

Recipe: Southwestern Bean & Chicken Soup

This soup is super fast and easy once your beans are ready. The spice is easily adjusted at the table with your favorite hot-sauce, and the salsa cooked in gives a wonderful tangy flavor. Also, adding the salsa means that there are no fussy things to cut up - so it is a great one to get a young child to help with!

Just the right soup for a rainy spring day - light and warm.

I used Lonesome Whistle's Arikara beans. They are a nice white bean that hold their shape really well in longer cooking projects such as soup. They have a balanced flavor that (so far) goes with everything. It's been nice to be back at the Farmers Market and seeing Kasey, talking beans and grains with her, and looking over her booth. It is more luscious and full each year.

Anyway...recipe!

Southwestern Bean & Chicken Soup

3-4 cups soaked and cooked Arikara beans (or another white bean)
1-2 cups cooked chicken pieces (this is a great thing to do with leftovers from a whole roasted or rotisserie chicken)
4-5 cups chicken broth
1-2 jars of your favorite green salsa
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbl. corn or tapioca starch
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro

This is so easy it feels like cheating. In your soup pot, combine the broth, beans, and chicken. Bring to a simmer. Add the salsa. Pull out a little broth (2-3 tablespoons should do it) and whisk in the starch and cumin till there are no lumps. Gently stir it back into the soup. Allow to simmer and thicken. Just before serving, add the basil or cilantro.

Serve with corn chips, sour cream, green onions, and your favorite hot sauce.

Recipe: Bite the Bullet Chili

The Dutch Bullet Beans  from Lonesome Whistle have such a great smokey flavor that they are perfect for chili... I was sure. And then I thought of the name and knew a recipe had to be born.

Usually we make chili with darker red or black beans and lots if steak, sausage, and other meat. But I didn't want such a heavy chili, feeling like too much would overwhelm the beans. So without further rambling...


Bite The Bullet Chili

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups dry Dutch Bullet Beans
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
*Spices to taste
2-3 cups water or broth
3-4 leaves of kale or chard (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare your beans - soaking, rinsing, par-cooking, to suit your preference. If you put them in the chili dry, add some cooking time!

Chop the onion and mince the garlic, sauté till they are transparent. Add the beef and brown slightly. Add spices.

*I used some mild New Mexico green chilis from a friend and a touch of red chili. With the name, I really wanted to make something spicer, with a nice kick, but I was cooking for kid palate and Brother-Bug hates all things with any spice at all. I contented myself with adding personal kick later when serving. Beyond the chilies, I put in some cumin, oregano, and just a dash of nutmeg.

Add the bean with the water or broth. Use just enough liquid to barely cover the beans if you want a thick chili, more water for a thinner product. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer till the beans are done - check the water level every 20-40 minutes, adding more water if needed.

Just before it was done I chopped up some chard that needed to be used and threw it in. It was a nice addition but made it feel less like true chili. That's your call. I like getting greens into anything and everything the kids eat. 

Adjust flavors with salt, pepper, more chili...

Serve with cornbread or corn chips and sour cream.

It all was consumed before I could take a picture - so make it yourself and find out what it looks like!!

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A side note on bean substitution:  Dutch Bullet Beans are a very specific heirloom bean. With Rio Zape beans you can use a dark bean to substitue, with Calypso beans a white... your final product will taste a little different because the flavors of heirloom products are so pronounced, but it will be similar enough. The Dutch Bullets have such a special flavor that I don't know what could possibly substitute. If you find something that you think would be a good match, let me know!

A Collection of Soup

Over at TidyMom they are collecting soup recipes. I think this is brilliant, because I love soup. There is a give away also, but my motivation is mostly my love of soup. I looked back over my posts and here are all the soup recipes I have posted about. All tried and true favorites - which one will you try?

Almost-Instant French Onion Soup - this relies on the magic of a slow cooker. It's not instant in that you have to start it the night before. It is instant in that your total cooking time is 20 minutes with a food processor. And you end up with extra caramelized onions, which is always good.

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Dinosaur Bean Soup - a creation I made when working with some heirloom beans from a local farmer. The first part of the post is about the bean and grain CSA that I belong to (and love). The soup recipe is near the end.

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Sunshine Soup and Ham & Barley Winter Stew - two recipes in one post! The sunshine soup is a bright soup with all red, yellow, and orange ingredients that we made for Winter Solstice. The Ham & Barley Stew is just what is says it is. Both these recipes feature more heirloom beans and grains from my CSA. The flavors of these ingredients is amazing and worth tracking down if you have time and resources.

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Summer Cucumber Soup - yesterday it was warm here, and sunny! We worked outside for a while, transplanting raspberry canes, and I got to thinking about all the tasty summer foods in the nearing future. This recipe is not appropriate now...but will be in just a few months. And SOOOO refreshing on a summer day!

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Sweet Potato & Beef Stew - using that earlier technique of slow-cooker caramelized onions, I made this amazing stew a couple weeks ago. There is no picture because we ate it to fast. There were no left overs.

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So those are the soup recipes I've posted here. I hope you try them out, enjoy them, and let me know. And really - give-away or no give-away, there are some amazing recipes in the Soupapalooza post I linked to in the beginning. This is the official line: "Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset!" The give-away ends today, but that is no reason to ignore the cache of amazing recipes. Check them out.

Two Soups for You

Though I haven't been doing much writing here, I have still been cooking, and cooking a lot! Partly holiday feasts and partly the exciting beans and grains, and mostly that we get hungry and must eat good food.

Among other things, I put together these two soup recipes and since both use ingredients from Lonesome Whistle, I wanted to share... And I really love to share the recipes I create. Recipe creation feel like such an art form, and one that benefits most when the recipes go out into the world.

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Sunshine Soup

I made this with Brother-Bug and his best friend when we gathered to call back the light at the (close to the) Winter Solstice. We chose ingredients that were red, yellow, and orange to help us see the return of the sun. It was a good match with an Irish Soda Bread and some broccoli. We shaped the bread like a sun, and the broccoli represented the coming summer trees. It was a tasty and magic meal!

Soda Bread Sunshine!

1/2 Butternut squash
3 carrots
5 c water
2 T veggie bouillon

Cook squash, carrots, water and billion till the carrots are soft. Blend or mash till smooth.

Add to the soup purée:

1 1/2 cups Vermont Cranberry beans, precooked
1c frozen corn
About a teaspoon each of powdered ginger & mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat through till the corn and beans are warm and the spice flavors have mingled a bit.

Serve and enjoy. Sing "Here Comes the Sun".

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Ham & Barley Winter Stew

Close up of Purple Barley - gorgeous, right?

1 ham hock
1 cup purple barley
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 white potato, cubed
2-3 tablespoons smoked paprika
Water to cover
Bay leaf
Parsley
Salt & Pepper

I made this in my slow-cooker - any excuse to use the Christmas present, right? I put all the ingredients in, covered them with water, and cooked it on high for about 5 hours. Before serving, pull out the hock and strip any clinging meat into the stew. Adjust the seasoning.

Serve with crusty bread.

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I'm thinking of grinding some of the Dakota Black Popcorn in my grain mill, and seeing how it comes out as cornbread....

CSA pick up number one and a quick dinner

I was so excited as I opened my bucket of goodies from Lonesome Whistle Farm; the kind of anticipation my kids are feeling about the impending holidays. Flour! Barley! Beans! Oats!

Thursday after delivery was an unusually busy Thursday, with us rolling in late from errands due to a birthday party. I knew we would be snacking and enjoying cake and coconut ice cream, so something simple for dinner was key.

Bread.
Beans.
Greens.

Brother-Bug chose the Vermont Cranberry beans and I set them in some warm water for a quick soak. Because the beans were so fresh they started to plump up right away.

Personal Disclaimer: I never remember to overnight soak my beans. I have, therefore, become adept at cooking dry beans fairly quickly without a pressure cooker. More about that in a future post.

A fuzzy picture of soaking beans.

After a couple of hours soaking, I rinsed the beans, added fresh water, and set them to boil, then simmer. They smelled divine and wonderfully bean-y while they cooked. I turned them off after about a half hour and left them. We ran errands and went to the birthday party. When we got home, while the bread was baking, I turned the stove back on and reheated the beans. Strained, mixed with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme, they were ready to eat.

Onto the bread.

I like yeast breads better than quick breads, but I didn't have time for a long rise, punch down, and rise again. I was on a major time line. I adapted the Master Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as follows:

Measure 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1/4 cup honey, and about a tablespoon of yeast into a bowl and let sit till the yeast is going. If you've made bread before you will know what I mean.

In a large mixing bowl combine:
3 cups flour (I did one of the Rye flour, one and a half of the Whole Wheat, and a half cup of organic white flour to lighten the texture a bit)
1/2 tbl. salt

Add the water/yeast/honey, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough will be very sticky. Don't knead it. Don't add more flour. I swear. Cover the bowl with a towel.

Let it sit until you are ready to preheat the over (to 400 degrees). At least an hour, longer is okay too. Once you set the oven to heat, flour your hands and form a quick round loaf. Don't try for anything super artistic, just make a basic loaf shape. Cut a couple of slashes in the top with a sharp knife. Let it rest while the oven finishes heating.

I bake my bread on a pizza stone, but a cookie sheet will work too. Make sure you set your resting loaf on coarse corn meal so you can move it around easily.

When the oven is hot, put the bread in and bake for... I forgot to look at the time. Darn it. I baked it till the crust was turning a little golden and the bread made a hollow thump when I tapped the bottom.

Cool and slice. Eat!

That was the bread.

As I stated, I re-warmed the beans and baked the bread when we got home. I sauteed some kale. That was it. And it was good. It was eaten up by all family members, even those who had recently gorged on cake.

The Vermont Cranberry beans are almost aromatic in flavor - the same way the nuttiness of an almond is aromatic and still nutty. They don't taste like almonds...it just struck me as the same kind of rich and subtle flavor, if not the actual same flavor. Their texture is smooth and starchy-creamy. Satisfying. Filling. And they are so rich in both flavor and texture that they didn't need more than the oil, thyme, salt, and pepper I tossed them in. Even that could have been too much. I am excited to try them in a recipe and see how they stand up to other flavors.

Papa-Bug expressed it best: 

"If beans were like this people would eat them."

Such a pretty, simple, satisfying meal...

And he's right. These beans are much more than just a burrito filler, to be covered over with other flavors. If I could always eat beans like these I would eat beans far more often. Thank goodness for the CSA!

The bread, the flavors of the flour... Wow. I wanted to keep eating it even after I was full. It was a dense bread due partly to the whole-ness of the flour and the short rise time, which was what I wanted for our dinner. It was a little sour and a little savory and rich of that nutty flavor that is an essential part of fresh wheat. Warm with butter... YUM!



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A couple of nights later I threw together this recipe which was a hit with the whole family. I made this up out of a moment of indecision - wanting to cook with all the lovely things from Kasey and not knowing what to choose!

1 cup Arikara beans
1 cup Vt. Cranberry beans
1 cup purple barley
1/2 cup dried mushrooms (I used chantrelles - and if you soak them separately you can use the soaking water in your broth)

1 tbl. olive oil
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
3-4 cups broth (I used a mixture of water and chantrelle broth)
1- tsp. dried thyme or marjoram
1-2 cups frozen corn
Salt & Pepper

Soak the beans, barley and mushrooms for about an hour. In a soup pot, Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Strain the beans and barley, add to the pot with the mushrooms, broth, bay, & thyme/marjoram. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer till the beans and barley are done. Add the frozen corn and continue to cook till the corn is warm through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Blogging About Beans

I have a farmer friend named Kasey White, of Lonesome Whistle Farm. They grow amazing garlic, assorted tomatoes and etcetera, and heirloom beans & grains.  They also grow black popcorn, which is really exciting and a perfect Halloween treat!

Look closely at the amazing colors of all those beans!

Their farm offers a CSA for their beans and grains, and I am so excited to be on the list of CSA Members. I am doubly excited because I am working off part of the cost of my share by featuring these tasty foods, and creating recipes for them, all to be exhibited here on my blog. I like this arrangement because I love to work for food, I like the challenge of new recipes, and I want to help support farmers - especially farmers who are trying to grow heirloom species and keep bio-diversity alive.

The CSA starts officially this month, and to start us off, Casey gave me a little bag of "Ireland Creek Annie" beans from last year's harvest. Lonesome Whistle didn't grow this bean again this season, so we will have to look elsewhere for it... because it was really, really tasty.



To start learning about heirloom beans, I'm going to cook each one as a plain bean before I attempt any recipes. I had heard Kasey say that heirloom beans have more complex flavors than the regular old black bean or kidney bean you buy in the store, so with the Ireland Creek Annie beans, I set out to test that assertion.

Beautiful beans. Gorgeous garlic.

These beans are a "white bean", of the kind you might use in baked beans, or a simple bean soup (keep reading if you like the soup idea...).  With half of the pound we soaked them in warm water, and cooked them at a simmer on low for a while.

(In the future I will give better, more detailed information about my cooking process...promise.)

Sister-Bug examines the dry beans.

Anyway. They had a soak and simmer until they tested done.

I mixed them with a little of Kasey's garlic, some butter, and some parsley... and of course a touch of salt and pepper. Just plain beans.

And what do you know! They were way more flavorful than most beans I have eaten. The garlic and the butter were good, but these beans could have stood alone as just a simple bean and still been very enjoyed by our family.

Their texture was smooth and a little starchy, and the flavor was nutty. One thing I have noticed about other heirloom foods I have tried, and these beans are no different, is that they taste like the "normal" incarnation of the food (white beans in this case) only more so. These beans were "beanier" than my usual white beans.

When cooked, they retained their color and shape better than my usual bean. There were few of the exploded or mushy beans mixed in, and they held up well when I was stirring in the butter and garlic. 

They were a huge hit with my family - everyone eating them up with alacrity.

Beans, garlic, butter... Bon apetit!

 With the second half of the pound, I wanted to see how they fared in a more flavorful recipe. I invented

Dinosaur Bean Soup

It comes by its name from the addition of Italian Kale, which my family thinks looks like something a dinosaur might eat or wear.

1 large leek - coarsely chopped
1 celeriac - peeled and cubed
1/2lb bacon - cut into chunks or bits
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 lb Ireland Creek Annie beans - pre-soaked (or other white heirloom bean)
1/2 by Italian kale - coarsely chopped or torn
4-ish cups of water
Salt and pepper

Heat a large soup pot. Add the bacon (we used Deck Family Farm Lamb Bacon, which has a flavor like no other. If you haven't tried Lamb Bacon, I think you should. Unless you don't eat lamb...). I usually take scissors and snip the strips into 1/2 inch pieces as I add it to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes to let the fat coat the pan, then add the leek, celeriac, bay leaf, and garlic. Cook for until the bacon is just beginning to crisp.

Add the soaked beans and water. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. Check the beans a couple of times. If you have pre-cooked your beans, you need to just heat the water and everything thoroughly. Just before serving, add the kale, stir, and wait a few moments for the kale to wilt.

(To make a vegetarian version, omit the bacon, saute the veggies in olive oil, and add 1/2 tsp. veggie bullion to fill out the missing bacon flavor.)

Serve and enjoy. This is good with crusty bread.

Sister-Bug gives these beans her hungry toddler award. She wouldn't stop eating them!

Keep checking back for more bean recipes, information about heirloom beans & grains, and other related content. And go to your Farmer's Market and find a heirloom bean farmer, because if these beans are any indication, you will not be disappointed!

Recipe: Cucumber Soup

The perfect foil for hot eather - and excellent leftovers too! We grilled some sausages and made biscuits to go with. It's so easy to make also that I didn't spend very much sunny time stuck in the kitchen.

At the outset I was using an official recipe for this, but then I didn't have all the required spices and had to create my own blend with what I had on hand. The result was tastier than the recipe I had set out to make.

Summer Cucumber Soup




2 cups buttermilk
2 cups yogurt
1 cucumber
2 green onions
1 clove garlic
2-3 tbl. Fresh basil leaves
1 tbl. Caraway seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop and toast the almonds. 

In a food processer mince the garlic, green onions, fresh basil and caraway seeds. Coarsely chop the cucumber and add it to the mix. You might want to peel it. I didn't. Throw the cucumber chunks in the food processer and run it till you have a coarse or large mince. Set this aside for the moment.

In a large bowl whisk the butter milk and yogurt till smooth. Add half the almonds and all the cucumber mix. Stir to incorporate and chill for at least an hour. The longer you chill the soup the better the flavors will mingle.

Serve with the remaining toasted almonds sprinkled on top.

Recipe: Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

It's one of my favorites - rich beef-broth, savory onions, browned cheese... Yum. Luckily it is also one of the easiest things I make in our kitchen. The secret is in the slow cooker.

I never used to make french onion soup because I don't particularly enjoy caramelizing onions. The amount of slow stirring over the pan of onion aromatics... not really a cooking task for me. And then came the realization of Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions. Let me lay this out for you.

I say this is "almost instant" but in reality it takes a day or so to complete. However, most of that time is in the slow cooker, so it doesn't really count. You just have to think ahead a bit.

1) Throw some beef bones and about a quart and a half of water in your slow cooker the night before you want your soup. Add a potato for extra potassium if you wish it. Make sure the bones are covered with water. Turn it to high and leave it over night.

2) The next morning, pour the broth into a container to store in the fridge for the day. Discard the bones. Save the potato and have it for lunch. YUM.

(You can skip these two steps and buy a quart of pre-made beef broth at the store. But it won't taste quite the same.)

3) Slice up enough onions to OVERFILL your slow cooker. I use my food processor for this. You can do it by hand. Either way, you want enough to fill the slow cooker above the brim.

4) Add the onions and a stick or two of butter (8-16 oz.) to the slow cooker. I usually put half the butter in the middle, and half on top. Figure out how to lid this pile - I had to cover mine over with tinfoil this last time. Too many onions for the lid to fit!

**NOTE: If you don't want extra caramelized onions for later, fill your slow cooker only about half way with onions and reduce the amount of butter.

5) Turn the slow cooker back on (high). Leave it for the day. Stir it once or twice if you get the opportunity. Or just let it go. Whatever.

6) 20-30 minutes before you want to eat, open up your slow cooker. You should have lovely onions - a whole pile of them! Way more than you need for your soup. Take about 2/3 of the onions and freeze by the measured 1/2 cup on a cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Keep these guys in the freezer for caramelized onions in an instant. They thaw fast to be added to burgers, quiche, omelets, pasta sauce, whatever! That's a win. You can put them to the side and get them in the freezer after dinner or anytime in the next couple of hours.

**I am compelled at this point to bring up my dad's complaint with this method. You end up with caramelized onions that are more steamed than fried and therefore do not have the crispy caramel bits. I agree with him. I also like how simple it is to caramelize these guys.

7) Add the following to the remaining 1/3 of onions in the slow cooker:
Approximately 4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup (or more) dry white wine
4-5 fresh thyme sprigs or 2 tbl. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

8) Lid the cooker and let it all warm up.

9) Serve the soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each one with some crusty baguette-type bread and slices of Gruyere cheese (Parmesan is okay in a pinch). Broil until the cheese is toasty and serve.

That's it. Lots of steps, but (with a food processor to cut the onions) no step takes more than 10 minutes. Most steps take more like 2 minutes.

Eat up!