BajaNomad

Bean Soup

BajaErin - 8-28-2011 at 09:52 PM

Seriously, we love bean soup. Favorite is at El General (or Freddie's) in San Felipe. How can we make it at home in Nor Cal? Suggestions please. Would love to get it down before winter.... yum yum

Mulegena - 8-29-2011 at 10:22 AM

I don't follow a printed recipe, but here's how it goes down in my kitchen:

BEANS: cooked through but still intact. I usually use pintos and separate some out when cooking up a pot of 'em for refried beans (which are not fried at all, but that's another recipe). Anyway, gently cook the beans until they're still firm yet cooked through.
CALDO: make a broth of the cooking water by adding chicken broth and tomato sauce OR a spoon of Knoor Tomato Chicken Stock powder and enough water to make a tasty broth; salt, pepper to taste; a splash of oil (no need for extra oil if using homemade stock). Throw in a splash of red wine at this point.
VEGETABLES that you like, chopped small: a must are onion & garlic, japaleno, tomato. From here its what you got in the fridge or you just fancy: celery, choyote, zucchini, red yellow green bellpeppers, nopales, carrots, cilantro.
RICE or POTATOES or both: pre-cooked and not too much
MEAT: this is really optional and don't add too much (its bean soup, not meat stew). fish, fowl or cow, all pre-cooked and diced or shredded

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or media crema, cilantro garnish; warmed corn tortillas; beer or some more of that red wine.

Provecho!

[Edited on 8-29-2011 by Mulegena]

DENNIS - 8-29-2011 at 11:12 AM

Here ya go. May not be what you specified, but it will keep you busy for a while:

http://tinyurl.com/3m4wv9u

CP - 8-29-2011 at 11:23 AM

Like Mulegena, I am not a recipe follower but wanted to throw in that we eat a lot of bean soup in our home. Before moving to Baja I only cared for Black Beans and Lima beans for soup. Pinto is low on my list. It was a surprise to find that I loved the beans served in some restaurants in Cd. C. assuming they were Pintos. I foundthat they were Mayacoba. With new found bean interest we have since bought every variety of bean at S. Ley and it has been a neat bean learning experience. Our favorite for soup is Alubia Chica. But Mayacoba, Garbancito, Flore de Mayo, etc have all been good.
Just wanted to throw that out there for those who are not so fond of the almighty Pinto Bean. Lots of other beans out there to try.

Black Beans

danaeb - 8-29-2011 at 12:49 PM

The last time I made black bean soup I added (in addition to water) a chopped onion, a can of Herdez salsa casera and a chopped smoked pork chop. Boy was it good! Smokey and spicy.

[Edited on 8-29-2011 by danaeb]

DENNIS - 8-29-2011 at 01:24 PM

When I was a kid, my Mom would serve us Campbells Black Bean Soup and I loved it. I don't think they make it anymore so I've been experimenting with a new pressure cooker and trying the Black Bean Soup thing. It's coming along.
I found the most important step is to puree a couple of cups of the cooked beans in a blender, then add them to the soup to thicken it. I prefer that to a watery soup.

Ok....heck with this soup stuff. I'm off to Sharky's.

Bestest Black Bean Soup

Gypsy Jan - 8-29-2011 at 01:37 PM

Here you go--

hhttp://tinyurl.com/cy9rhx

Add more bacon to taste.

BajaWarrior - 8-29-2011 at 03:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaErin
Seriously, we love bean soup. Favorite is at El General (or Freddie's) in San Felipe. How can we make it at home in Nor Cal? Suggestions please. Would love to get it down before winter.... yum yum


Ditto on El General for the Beans. We'll be dining there on this coming Friday early evening on our way to our Beach House below San Felipe.

mulegemichael - 8-29-2011 at 03:23 PM

i was raised on "navy bean soup", whatever that is....small white beans and a ham hock simmered in a pot full of water....i really don't think we had to add much more than that.

Skipjack Joe - 8-29-2011 at 09:33 PM

And I was raised on Pasta Fagioli .

Roberto should be familiar with this. The Italians we lived with made it almost every day. Dad got to really like it. Alas, my kids are indifferent to it. It's a thick soup made with penne pasta and navy beans mostly. A blue collar soup.

AmoPescar - 8-29-2011 at 11:45 PM

My favorite is... HAM and NAVY BEAN SOUP

And if I do say so, I make a really good one...easy to make and YUMMY!

Ham - bite sized cubes 2-4 cups
Navy Beans or Northern White Beans - 2-3 14 0z. cans
Onion - white or yellow - medium diced - usually use 1 large or 2 small
Carrots - 2-4 peeled and diced medium
Celery - 2-4 stalks - medium diced
Vegetable or Chicken stock - usually use Knorr cubes - 2-3 mixed into about 4-5 cups of Hot water - number varies based on amount of other ingredients
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder - to taste
Optional - Parsley - chopped fresh or dried ok

NOTE: I use can beans for easy prep. But can used bagged beans which have been soaked overnite. I've used many types of Ham bought by the chunk. Leftover holidays ham works well & even Honey Baked type hams work well. Turkey Ham is ok too.

TO MAKE:
- Saute ham and vegetables for about 10-12 minutes - add some of the
seasonings while sauteeing.
- Add liquid and bring to a simmer, Simmer for 20-30min.
- Add beans and simmer for another 20-30 min.
- Add additional seasoning as needed/to taste

Serve with Garlic Bread, biscuits or good Dark Bread

Can also be made with Pinto beans or other red type beans.


Miguelamo :yes: ;D :yes: ;)

Habas = Navys

Mulegena - 8-30-2011 at 04:18 AM

Down here in Baja the equivalent to Navy Beans are Habas.

They're on the shelf in most grocery stores and the mountains people have their own gardens of 'em. Those are the best, picked fresh and cooked over an outdoor woodstove!

DENNIS - 8-30-2011 at 06:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
Down here in Baja the equivalent to Navy Beans are Habas.




I thought "haba" was a Lima Bean.


.

[Edited on 8-30-2011 by DENNIS]

mulegejim - 8-30-2011 at 06:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
And I was raised on Pasta Fagioli .

Roberto should be familiar with this. The Italians we lived with made it almost every day. Dad got to really like it. Alas, my kids are indifferent to it. It's a thick soup made with penne pasta and navy beans mostly. A blue collar soup.


Great dish - had it many times in San Francisco. That and a loaf of SF sourdough is a great meal. Jim

CP - 8-30-2011 at 06:44 AM

The book translation for Habas is Lima Bean. But the Habas are not like the Limas we got in the states. Though they do have a slight leaning towards lima shape from frijole. And I agree they make a great soup. The little Habas are great for Boston Baked Beans, too. Also, Garbancito Beans do not look anything like a Garbanzo Bean.

Habas Navys and Limas

Mulegena - 8-30-2011 at 08:47 AM

Lions Tigers and Bears

Thanks, Dennis & CP, for the clarification.

All three beans share characteristics in color, shape, taste & texture, I think.
Since Habas are available down here in BCS, that's what I use when I want to make something like Navy Bean soup or a pot of Limas.

btw, i never thot i'd google beans, but i did and found that habas date to the christian era and were enjoyed in ancient egypt greece and rome

Wish I could get some good old Black Beans, even canned. Favorite for a potluck salad!

windgrrl - 8-30-2011 at 09:34 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena


btw, i never thot i'd google beans, but i did and found that habas date to the christian era and were enjoyed in ancient egypt greece and rome

Wish I could get some good old Black Beans, even canned. Favorite for a potluck salad!


...and maybe fava beans?!!
http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/06/04/fava-bean-soup/p://

Oops - they site changed...just go to "soups", then "locro de habas or fava bean soup".

If you can get to or know anybody in Los Barriles, there are lots of beans, including black/turtle beans on the shelves at Chapitos!

[Edited on 8-30-2011 by windgrrl]

DENNIS - 8-30-2011 at 09:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
Wish I could get some good old Black Beans, even canned. Favorite for a potluck salad!


The grocery stores here are full of them...canned and packaged.

Skipjack Joe - 8-30-2011 at 11:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena

btw, i never thot i'd google beans, but i did and found that habas date to the christian era and were enjoyed in ancient egypt greece and rome.



Interesting. While you were googling haba I was googling 'hubba hubba'. Don't hear that much anymore.

DENNIS - 8-30-2011 at 11:11 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Interesting. While you were googling haba I was googling 'hubba hubba'. Don't hear that much anymore.


It went the way of,"Cat's Meow" and "23 Skidoo."

CP - 8-30-2011 at 11:52 AM

Sorry that this is not soup related but its a really great bean thing. Took me years to finally ask about the bunches of leafy green overgrown alfalfa looking plant being sold around Eastertime from the truck vendors of oranges, honey, etc along the roadside. They are fresh garbanzo beans. Very fun if you do not mind a little work. Pull of the pods, put them in a skillet with a dash of oil and salt and xhiles or whatever, toss about till the pods start to char. Kinda like Mexican Edamame. Though a little harder to eat. Big hit with the beer crowd.

The Bean Whisperer

oladulce - 8-30-2011 at 01:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CP
The book translation for Habas is Lima Bean. But the Habas are not like the Limas we got in the states. Though they do have a slight leaning towards lima shape from frijole. And I agree they make a great soup. The little Habas are great for Boston Baked Beans, too. Also, Garbancito Beans do not look anything like a Garbanzo Bean.


CP is a chef extraordinaire. All of her culinary creations are edible works of art. And lemme tell ya, her baked beans are the best in the universe.

MitchMan - 9-24-2011 at 08:50 AM

Ever try pink beans instead of pintos?

They are almost identical to pintos except pink beens are a bit silkier and smoother in texture and tend to stay whole and not lose their skins as easily as pintos. Flavor is almost identical but have a cleaner, slightly fuller "bean" flavor. I haven't seen them in stores in La Paz, only pintos.

Also, when it comes to pintos, it's a must to use as fresh pinto beans as possible. The older they are, the longer they take to cook, the grittier the texture, the tougher the skins, and the quicker they shed their skins. You know you have fresh pintos when they finish cooking in 1.5 hours.

Funny thing, my mother and my aunts used to spread out the uncooked pintos on a counter top, one bean layer thick and hand pick out the withered beans, the little dirt clods, and any bean that wasn't perfect before putting the "acceptable" beans in the pot to cook. Hadn't seen that process for 50 years until my neighbor in La Paz came over to my casita to cook pinto beans for me three years ago. She did the same thing, spread the beans out on the counter and took about 8 minutes to hand pick the beans. Déjà vu.

bajajazz - 9-24-2011 at 10:29 AM

There used to be a restaurant in SJDC called Rosy's that served a cream of Habas soup that was the best I've had anywhere. It rivaled a cream of Jalapeno soup we had in an elegant place in Prescott, Az. We looked for Rosy's last time thru SJDC but couldn't find it, out of business apparently.

Reading this thread it struck me that we're all Beaners now, if we weren't before.

Mitchman, the Little Market

Gypsy Jan - 9-24-2011 at 12:05 PM

In Primo Tapia that I shop at regularly sorts the beans out on the check out counter and then repackages the ones that pass inspection in 1/2 kilo-sized plastic bags for sale.

BajaErin - 9-25-2011 at 08:14 PM

Thank you everybody for your comments. Truth be told, I grew up eating Campbells Bean and Bacon soup as my favorite, so maybe that was a clue. lol We are getting close on the recipe. yum Noting went to waste on the last batch.

Cypress - 9-26-2011 at 06:04 AM

Louisiana-style red beans and rice! :biggrin:

MitchMan - 11-28-2011 at 05:58 PM

How about...Chicken Gumbo!

Cypress - 11-28-2011 at 06:13 PM

Oh yea!!!;D

Mengano - 11-28-2011 at 06:36 PM

$1.79 or so at Stater Bros. Will feed 8.

Hook - 11-28-2011 at 06:44 PM

Holy, moly, that's a great deal for a bean soup starter!!!

Discard the "ham-flavored seasoning packet", of course...............and go with the real thing.

The Peruvian beans seem to be big over here for charro beans.

Or, consider adding some chorizo seco to your bean soup recipes. Particularly like the Bafar brand. Much lower in fat that traditional Mexican chorizo.

The secos from Spain are, of course, a king's ransom; comparatively speaking.

comitan - 11-28-2011 at 06:46 PM

Buy a jar of Ham Base at Smart & Final add some to a pot of navy or Habas, closest to Bean with Bacon you'll ever find.