Snow Day! Winter Bean Soup with Crispy Shallot Topping
Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen posted: " The kids had a snow day here today! Some of us are wondering why! It was a quiet weekend here, but with weather all over the place. Saturday night, the North Winds howled like banshees, knocking over heavy outdoor furniture, and bending the trees. Sun" The New Vintage Kitchen
The kids had a snow day here today! Some of us are wondering why!
It was a quiet weekend here, but with weather all over the place. Saturday night, the North Winds howled like banshees, knocking over heavy outdoor furniture, and bending the trees. Sunday, the winds died down, the temperatures rose to the low 50s F. (t-shirt weather for Vermonters), so I puttered around outside for a bit and placed evergreens in my planters in the front yard.
More rain, then snow
Then, the rains started. Although it was still warm, it poured buckets all the rest of the day and into the night. Upon waking this morning, the silence of snow. The world was blanketed in beautiful white, not much, just a couple of inches, but covering all the trees. The kids had a snow day, and I guess there was probably ice conditions when it changed from rain to snow, so that is most likely why the school closings. But, it really was beautiful, especially after looking at a mostly grey landscape for weeks. As pretty as it is, the forecast is for rising temperatures, so it may all disappear by evening, maybe even as I post.
A little holiday cheer
We put up the tree, dug out some lights for the mantle, and I worked on my list of things to do in the next two weeks. It's pretty long, but I downloaded the new Cher holiday album to set the mood, and thumbed through recipes I plan to make in the very near future.
Simmering soup
All the while, soup bubbled on the back burner, filling the house with winter aromas. I was craving beans from scratch, and had made those first on Saturday, some simple dried pinto beans I soaked for a few hours in salt water then cooked with a large chopped onion in the pressure cooker for 40 minutes. Hardly any hands-on time, but we had enough beans for supper that night, some saved in the container for use this week, and a jar for the freezer, of course.
Soup with beans, yes, please
A vegetable soup with beans is a favorite, especially if all the vegetables are things we like. But it's also nice to tuck in a few things that are good for us even if they are not our favorites. So beets and sweet potatoes made a modest appearance here.
The un-recipe
This is one of those recipes that I hardly think of as such, it's really just a technique, using what you have on hand. For this batch, I used rutabaga, sweet potato, Chioggia beets, and cauliflower, along with the pinto beans. I had mushroom stock in the refrigerator, so I used that plus a little water to round things out. Use any stock you like, or just water. Sometimes I add greens of many types at the very end, beet greens, Swiss chard, escarole, spinach, etc. They add color and interest. You can also add a bit of heat in the form of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes, it's up to you.
The shallot topping is a family favorite. It adds texture to the soup, flavor of course, and visual interest.
Now, I think I'll warm up a bowl for lunch, there's plenty to share!
Winter Bean Soup with Crispy Shallot Topping
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, any type, diced
2 stalks celery or some celery root, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic or so, minced
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 quart or so root vegetables (beets, rutabaga, turnip, radishes, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.)chopped as you like it
Water or stock to cover everything by an inch or so
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 or 2 cups broccoli or cauliflower, chopped, or even some peas or green beans
Add the root vegetables, tomatoes, and the liquid. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher, but leave some texture. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest simmer and cook until everything is tender. Add the cauliflower (or other top0of-the-ground veggie) and beans, check the seasoning and liquid level, and continue to simmer until everything is cooked.
In the meantime, slice the shallots into the thinnest of rings. Place in a small saucepan and cover with olive oil. Bring to a simmer, and cook until they are browned. Place on a paper towel to drain, sprinkling with salt. Strain the oil and use for other purposes – to drizzle on the finished soup, to brush on baguette slices, or flavor a vinaigrette. It's really yummy.
Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with the shallots and a drizzle of the oil.
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