This morning as I am typing this, snow is falling. Mike is working on buttoning up the farm a bit—he put away the hay equipment this morning, and is changing the combine head over from grain to corn. The corn is still too wet to harvest, but it’ll get there.
I’ll bet you’re busy buttoning things up, too. We do different things when the days get shorter and the temps drop. Hibernation calls…
We eat differently, too. We start roasting veggies instead of eating salads. And we grill less and make soups and stews more.
Today I’ve got a soup recipe for you that someone shared with me years ago. Amy started with a recipe out of one of Steve Sando’s books (of Rancho Gordo fame) and tweaked it. You’re going to love it.
The recipe calls for Jacob’s Cattle beans, but you can substitute another kind if you want. And if you’re vegetarian/vegan, just leave the bacon out.
It would go well with some sourdough bread or cornbread. And maybe apple crisp for dessert…
Jacob’s Cattle Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. Jacob's Cattle Beans
- 1/2 lb. of bacon cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 to 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 to 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. dried crumbled sage or 2 Tbsp. fresh separated
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust all amounts to your taste. You can add more or less of any of the ingredients and have an excellent soup.
- Transfer beans and their soaking liquid to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add water to cover beans by 1 inch if necessary.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, until beans just soften--about 15 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon and crumble.
- Reduce heat under skillet to low and add the onions, celery, carrot, garlic, half of the sage, and a little pepper. Sauté uncovered over low heat (very slowly) for about 20 minutes. Do not brown vegetables.
- Add vegetables to the beans with the bacon. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender and cooking liquid has thickened, about 45 minutes to an hour.
- During the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the remaining 1 tsp./Tbsp. of sage and adjust seasonings. Enjoy!
Notes
