It’s that time of year again – crisp and cold or wet and cold, take your pick the weather will change in another 15 minutes anyway.
This is the time of year I like to make soup, thick hearty whole-meal kinds of soup, preferably in one pot.
A quick trip to the grocery store gave me an idea for a nourishing, hearty soup that will go great at warming up the bed in a few hours. When you read the ingredients you will see what I mean – or skip to the bottom for the obligatory caveat… 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (200 and some grams) of bacon
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large onion
- 1 large handful of sliced mushrooms (or a 12 oz can if you prefer tinned)
- 1 19 oz can of Bean Medley
- 1 19 oz can of Black Beans
- 1 16 oz can of Pork and Beans
- 1 litre of Chicken stock
Directions:
- Dice the bacon and into your trusty large soup pot at medium high heat.
- When the bacon is almost crispy toss in the onions and saute in the bacon fat until transparent.
- Dice the carrots – soup sized and toss into the pot along with the mushrooms. Continue sauteing and stirring until the mushrooms start to look limp (unless tinned in which case a couple minutes).
- Open all the tins and toss in on top of the carrots etc. (the contents of the tins, not the tins themselves silly).
- Pour about 2/3′s of the chicken stock in over top of everything, give it a couple stirs and reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for a good hour or two until the beans have just about dissolved and the women folk turn pale and run out of the kitchen.
- Add the rest of the stock and let simmer / reduce for another 15 minutes or so.
- Serve piping hot and enjoy!
Options and Spices:
- This soup is great with crusty bread or tortilla chips, maybe even a plate of nachos to share if you are feeling adventurous.
- I don’t add a lot of spices – the tinned beans take care of that nicely. A bit of pepper and maybe a pinch of salt, maybe a bit of Southwest spice if you have a cast iron stomach.
- This soup can be prepared equally well in a fine kitchen or over an open fire in the bush.
Caveat Emptor:
flat·u·lent: [flach-uh-luhnt]
1.generating gas in the alimentary canal, as food.
2.attended with, caused by, or suffering from such an accumulation of gas.
Related: flat·u·lence, flat·u·len·cy, noun