Curried Acorn Butternut Squash Soup

 

Slightly sweet and spicy… Hearty and extremely easy to make.  Great for the winter season.  And most of all… this soup freezes well.  So you’ll always have soup whenever you feel like having some.

What you need…

What to do…?

Wash acorn and butternut squash under cold running water. And roast in a preheated oven at 375°F for 1 hour.

Cut both squashes in half.

Scope and discard the seeds. And scope out the flesh and place in a bowl.

Heat a large stew pot.  Saute onions, ginger and garlic.   Then add the green curry paste.

Add the can of coconut milk.

Add the 2 cans of chicken broth.

Bring to a boil.

Add the squash.  Stir and bring to another boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mash with a potato masher or blend with a hand held blender. Cover and bring to a boil. Again, simmer for another 5 minutes.

Taste to see if additional salt is needed.  Otherwise, add freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in chopped green onions and cilantro.

Serve hot with rice and other meat dishes.

——————

Acorn Butternut Squash Curried Soup

1 medium size acorn squash– about 2 – 3 pounds

1 medium size butternut squash – about 3 – 4 pounds

3 TBSPs. olive oil

1 medium size onion – chopped

2 TBSPs. finely chopped young ginger

4 large cloves garlic – minced

1 – 3 TBSPs. green curry paste

2 (14.5 ounces) cans low sodium chicken broth

1 (13.5 ounces) can Chaokoh coconut milk

½ – 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

3 stalks green onion

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Preheat oven at 375°F.

Line a heavy duty baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Wash acorn and butternut squash under cold running.  With a fork or a serrated steak knife, prick both squashes in the different in several areas – all around.

Line a heavy duty baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place both squashes in the pan and bake for 1 hour.

Remove and cool.  Split both squashes in half.  Scope the and discard the seeds.  Scope the flesh and place in a large bowl.

Heat a large, 4 quart stew pot.    Add olive oil.

Sauté onions, ginger, and garlic until onions are translucent.  Add curry paste and sauté for a few minutes.

Add coconut oil.  Stir until curry paste is incorporated.  Add chicken broth.  Bring curried liquid to a boil.  Add acorn and butternut squash.  Stir and bring to another boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Mash the squash in the pot with a potato masher or hand held electric blender.  Taste to see how much salt is needed.  Add freshly ground black pepper.  Cover and simmer curried squash for another 5 minutes.  Add chopped and green onions and cilantro.  Serve hot. With rice and other meat dishes.

Tess Kitchen Secrets:

Green curry paste is hotter than red curry paste.  So start with 1 tablespoon.  You can always add more later once the chicken is cooked.  The 3 tablespoons of green curry paste I used here makes this chicken curry very spicy!  But my husband likes his curry this way. So here’s the scale of hotness in this curry, based on how the number of tablespoons of green curry paste you use on a scale of 1 – 10:

1 tablespoon = 4 (good average heat)

2 tablespoons = 7 (hot, a little medium heat)

3 tablespoons = 10 (superhot)

This soup can be divided into small portions and frozen.  When ready to enjoy the curried soup, simple take out a portion and leave in the fridge overnight.  Microwave for 2 – 3 minutes and serve.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

 

 

Texas Country Turnip Green Soup

My husband ate several bowls of this soup.  A testament of how much he liked it…

He doesn’t always like every dish that I cook.  And when he does… when there’s a dish that he really likes, he’ll eat it until it’s gone.  And if there is some left over, he’ll eat it the next day.

He’s afraid I’m not going to cook it as good.  So he wants to enjoy the moment.  Savor every spoonful.

My poor husband.  I am to blame for his behavior.  I have a bad habit of tinkering with recipes I have already perfected.  And he doesn’t like it one bit.  Because when he likes a dish, he likes it exactly the same way as he has tasted it the very first time…

And with me tinkering with recipes all the time… he’s never sure if he’s going to have the same dish ever again!

I’ve successfully tested several recipes last week.  All dishes came out good.

And this soup was one of the dishes that stood out.  Even I was amazed on how tasty it was.  Considering how simple were the ingredients…

Anyway…

I wanted to share this soup with you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

Here’s what you need…

12 ounces salt pork. Chopped.

Onion, garlic, celery, cubed ham, frozen chopped turnip greens…

Potatoes, chopped…

3 cans great northern beans, 2 cans low sodium chicken broth + 2 cups water…

herbs and spices…

What to do…?

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Cook salt pork until it has rendered most of its fat… Remove all but 3 tablespoon of the fat.

Add onions and garlic.  Saute until onions are translucent.

Add the celery.  And saute a few minutes.

Add the beans and the ham…

Add the potatoes…

And the chicken broth.  And water…

Stir.

Add the frozen chopped turnip greens.  Stir to combine.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.

Once boiling, reduce heat.

Simmer soup for 1 hour.  Stirring occasionally while simmering…

After 1 hours, soup should be lightly creamy.   Taste before adding coarse sea salt and MSG if desired…

Serve with your favorite bread or corn bread.

The RECIPE:

Texas Country Turnip Green Soup

12 ounces salt pork – chopped

1 large onion – chopped

4 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

3 sticks celery – chopped

5 medium size potatoes

1 pound cubed ham

3 cans (14.5 ounces each) Great Northern Beans – drained and rinsed

2 cans (14 ounces each) Low Sodium chicken broth + 2 cups water

1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped turnip greens

1 tsp. dried chives

½ tsp. dried marjoram leaves

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

1 tsp. coarse ground sea salt – if needed

Pinch of MSG (optional)

NOTE:  If you can’t find salt pork, you can use pancetta or thick slices bacon.

Rinse salt pork under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Slice salt pork into ½ inches.

Heat a large pot and sauté salt pork until slightly crispy and it has rendered most of its fat.  Remove most of the fat except 3 tablespoons.

Sauté onions until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté until light golden brown.

Add the celery and sauté a few minutes.

Add the cubed ham and potatoes.  Sauté a few minutes.  Add drained and rinsed Great Northern Beans.  Stir to combine.

Add chicken broth and 2 cups water.  Stir.

Add the frozen chopped turnip greens.  Stir.

Bring soup to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat and add the following:  dried chives, marjoram leaves, black pepper and ground hot pepper.

Simmer soup for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Taste the soup for additional salt.  And add a pinch of MSG to perk up the taste.

Serve warm with your favorite bread or corn bread.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Salt pork makes a big difference in taste when it comes to vegetable soups.  But you have to sauté it to get rid most of the fat.

#2 – Coarse sea salts are excellent in soups!

#3 – Draining and rinsing canned beans reduces gas.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Chunky Mexican Chicken Soup

I’m on a roll with soups lately.

It must be because it’s starting to get cold.

And soup seems like a good way to stay warm.

Am usually not fond of dishes with tomatoes or tomato sauce.  Though I like them in soups as long as fresh or whole tomatoes are used.   In this case I used whole peeled tomatoes in a can.

Yeah…  I could have used fresh tomatoes and peel them myself.  But I was feeling lazy.  And I didn’t feel like blanching and peeling the tomatoes  myself.  So whole peeled canned tomatoes were my second best choice.  A dependable stand in.

This version of the soup is thick and hearty.  Though my husband prefers it to be lighter with less chicken next time.  I agree.  I’m not too crazy about thick soups either.  And I know that has to do with how we ate soups when I was growing up.  Thin and light.  With clean, crisp taste.  And that’s only because we had to make do with what we had.  Soup was a great way to feed a large family of 10.

So… if you like thick and hearty soup, just increase the chicken and corn tortillas.  And if you like your soup heartier, top each serving with cheddar cheese and sour cream, in addition to the chunks of avocados.

Here’s what you need:

You need 3 or 4 large split chicken breasts.  Bone and skin on.  About 4 – 5 pounds.  Only use 3 split chicken breasts if you want a thinner soup.

Remove chicken from the package and rinse them under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  And place chicken in a heavy-duty baking sheet.

Pour a little bit of oil – canola or olive oil, on each chicken breast and rub the oil all over the chicken.

Generously season the chicken breasts with kosher salt and ground black pepper.  I used about 4 teaspoons of kosher salt and 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper.

Don’t worry.

This might seem a lot of salt to you.  But all this salt is not going to penetrate the meat.  Its just going to make the chicken breasts well seasoned on the outside.Season chicken breasts on both sides.

And roast them, skin sides up,  in a preheated oven at 400°F for 50 minutes.

After 50 minutes in the oven, the chicken breasts are cooked and the skins are crispy!

As you can see… I have way too many chicken breasts here.  I should only have roasted three.  Four the most.  And so I used the rest of the chicken for “chicken club salad sandwiches” .  Another recipe I will post in the future.

But, like I said though… if you like a thicker, heartier soup, use four large split chicken breasts.

Oh by the way… the skins are really crunchy and tasty.   And you can start munching on them if you are feeling hungry and need a quick snack.

Tear the chicken meat off the bones and shred them into chunks.  Place chicken chunks in a bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.

Discard the bones and skins.

Or give the skins to your puppy.  She’ll love you for it.

~~~

Other ingredients you need for the soup:

Vegetables: 3 large celery sticks, 4 – 5 medium carrots, 2 medium size onions, 4 – 5 jalapenos, cilantro and lots of garlic.

Halves the  celery

And  chop them.

Peel and halves the carrots.

And chop them.

Quarter the  jalapenos

And remove the ribs and the seeds.

The hottest part of the jalapenos reside along the ribs.  That means if you want your soup to have a “kickasss” attitude, keep the ribs and only scrape the seeds.

And chop them.

Onions – peeled, and chopped.

Garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped.

Olive oil. 3 tablespoons.

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes.

4 cans chicken broth.  About 6 cups.  Plus 2 cups water.

Ground coriander seeds, ground cumin, and dried basil.

One teaspoon of each.

Five or six 6-inch white or yellow corn tortillas.

I was kicking myself when I got home from the store, when I realized that I had bought flour tortillas instead of corn.

I was having a senior moment at 43!

But I used them anyway.  Wishing, while kicking myself, that I had corn tortillas.

Slice tortillas into one inch strips.

And them chop into one inch squares.

Oh.  Don’t forget the avocados.  You will need 3 large, ripe avocados.

One-half (1/2) avocado per serving.

And cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Only if you want a richer, heartier soup!

And your favorite corn tortilla chips to serve on the side.

~~~

How to prepare the soup:

Heat a large pot (I am using a 5 quart pot) and add 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Saute chopped onions until translucent.

Add garlic and saute few more minutes.

Add chopped celery, carrots, and jalapenos.

Stir and saute for five minutes.

Add the whole peeled tomatoes.  Break ‘em into chunks using a spatula.

Stir and add the chicken broth.  Plus 2 cups water.

Add the ground coriander and cumin and dried basil.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.

Add the chopped corn tortillas into the pot.

Reduce heat to low and simmer soup until vegetables are tender. About 20 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Add the shredded chicken to the soup.

Season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Simmer soup for another 15 minutes.

Serve soup warm.  As is…

With your favorite corn tortilla chips…

Or…

Top each bowl with avocado chunks.

And to add more excitement and personality to soup -

And to make it richer and heartier -

Top each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese and sour cream along with the avocados.

I have to be honest…

I was reluctant at first to use the avocados.  So when I served the soup for the first time, I served it with sour cream. To be on the safe side.

But I made a big pot, like I always do, because I’m lazy like that.

So the next day when I served the same soup again, this time, I bravely added chunks of avocados in each bowl.

And you know…

I’m glad I did because the avocados made the soup taste creamier, even without the cheese and sour cream.

The avocados were subtle, yet surprisingly seductive and intriguing that makes the palate hunger for more…

Here’s the recipe:

Chunky Mexican Chicken Soup

Serves 4 – 6 people

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large split chicken breasts – bone in, skin on

3 TBSPs. canola or olive oil

4 tsps. kosher salt

2 tsps. ground black pepper

3 TBSPs. olive oil

2 large onions – peeled and chopped

6 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

4 jalapeno peppers – seeds removed and chopped

4 medium size carrots – peeled and chopped

2 large stalks celery – chopped

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

1 tsp. ground coriander seed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried basil

4 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth or 6 cups chicken stock

2 cups filtered water

5 (6 inch) white or yellow corn tortillas – sliced and chopped into 1-inch squares

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 tsps. coarse sea salt or to taste

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Corn tortilla chips – to serve on the side

Optional Toppings:

3 large ripe Avocado – peeled seeded and cut into chunks (allow ½ avocado per person)

Grated sharp cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese

Sour cream

Remove chicken from the package and rinse under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  And place chicken in a heavy duty baking sheet.

Pour a little bit of oil – canola or olive oil on each chicken breast and rub the oil all over the chicken breast.

Generously season the chicken breasts with kosher salt and ground black pepper.  Season them on both sides.

Preheat the oven at 400°F.

Roast chicken breasts at 400°F for 50 minutes.

(Prepare all the vegetables needed while the chicken is roasting in the oven.)

Tear the chicken meat off the bones.  Shred the chicken with your hands or tear them into chunks.  Place chunks or shredded chicken in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Discard bones and skins.

Heat a large pot and add 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Saute chopped onions until translucent.

Add garlic and saute few more minutes.

Add chopped celery, carrots, and jalapenos.

Stir and saute for five minutes.

Add the whole tomatoes.  Break ‘em into chunks using a spatula.

Add the chicken broth, plus 2 cups of water.

Add 1 tsp. ground coriander seed, 1 tsp. ground cumin and 1 tsp. dried basil.

Stir the  mixture.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.  Once the soup is boiling, add the chopped corn tortillas.

Cover and simmer soup until vegetables are tender.  And soup is slightly thick.  About 20 minutes.

Add the shredded chicken to the soup and simmer again for another 15 minutes.

Taste to see how much salt is needed.  Otherwise, add 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Serve warm with your favorite corn tortilla chips on the side.

Top each bowl of soup with chunks of avocado.

And for richer, heartier soup, top each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Avocado chunks make this soup taste creamier.  The creaminess comes when you take a spoonful of the soup with a small chunk of avocado.

#2 – Shredded Cheddar or Pepper Jack Cheese takes this soup to another level.

#3 – Corn tortilla chips is a great accompaniment to the soup.  It makes the soup less serious, even though it is.  And makes the soup fun to eat.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Kale: Amazingly Delicious Super Nutritious Soup

Super food.  Highly nutritious.  Rich in Vitamins.

These are just some of the praises this vegetable receives from nutrition experts and health foodies.

And they are all correct.

At the outset.  You look at this vegetable, and you see green leaves that are rough and rugged.  And they look dry too.  And you wonder… how can this possibly be good for me?  Let alone taste good?

I have ignored kale for so long.  Until about two years ago when my son, Ramon, was looking for vegetables he could eat and alternative ways of cooking them.  We decided on trying kale – roasted.  Roasted with olive oil, garlic, kosher salt and ground black pepper.  The result was crunchy and delicious.  I could eat them for snacks.  No kidding.  It was that good. Though, I’d had to be careful.  They burn easy if left too long in the oven.

Anyway…

Other than roasting the kale, I’ve not tried cooking it in soups.

I thought to myself… OK… kale is good roasted.  But how would it taste cooked in soup?  Can it even taste good in soup?

Skeptic.  Always.  I think I was born skeptic.  It takes awhile for me to come around and believe on something.  I have to see it to believe it.  And when it comes to food, I have to taste it and stomp down my skepticism.

I am one of those people…

You almost have to force me.  Or force something on me.  Shove it down my throat before I believe you.  And when I like it… I won’t stop having it.  Have it until I have so much of it.  Until I get sick of it.  And won’t have it again for a very long time.

I seem to live my life this way.

As for this kale soup.  I am on it’s beginning stage.  I can probably eat kale soup for the next six months.  Maybe longer.  Before I get tired of it.

Few days ago I want to make kale soup again so I went to the supermarket.  But they didn’t have it.

THEY DIDN’T HAVE IT!

I asked the produce guy…

“Excuse me! I am looking for kale.  They’re usually in this area, but I don’t see it.  Do you have any inside…?”

“No ma’am.  We received a shipment today, but they weren’t good.  Sort of moldy.  So we didn’t put it out…”

“Hmmm. OK… thanks!”

I can’t believe they didn’t have kale!

I’ll  have to go back today to see if they have it…

Kale.  They surely don’t look pretty.  And it is almost shocking how good they are in soups.

You need two or three bunches.  I used two bunches on my first try.  But they shrink once they’re cooked.  So I am going to use three bunches next time.

Wash them under cold running water to remove dirt and sand.  Tear leaves from the stems.  Discard stems.  Leaves should be torn into small chunks.

Once washed.  Shake off excess water and tear the leaves into chunks like these.  Place in a colander.

You need salt pork.  Or one pound of pancetta or thick sliced of bacon.

I always like to wash the salt pork under warm running water.  And pat dry with paper towel before slicing.

Thinly sliced.

Two large potatoes.

Peeled.  Washed and diced.

Large onion.

Peeled, chopped and diced.

I LOVE red onions.  It has more character than yellow. So pretty!

Garlic cloves

Peeled and chopped. (Sorry… this pic seems a little blurred.)

In all my recipes… I always say – smash, peeled and chopped.  That’s because it is so much easier to peel garlic cloves once they’re smashed or cracked.  The skins peel right off.

In the Philippines, when I was there.  People used garlic without peeling them.  I always wonder about that.  But the garlic cloves were so tiny that maybe that’s why people didn’t peel them.  It was simply troublesome to peel them.

I don’t know… maybe they’ve managed to grow fat garlic by now.  I don’t know.

3 cans of chicken broth or stock  – about 4 cups total. And 4 cups filtered water.

Heat a large, deep pot and add the sliced salt pork.

Cook over medium heat until until pork has rendered most of its fat.

I love salt pork.  Their beautiful! And tasty.

Remove the salt pork with a slotted spoon.  Set aside.

Also remove most of the rendered fat, but retain at least 3 tablespoons in the pot.

Saute onions and garlic in the pot.  Until onions are translucent.

Add the potatoes and saute for several minutes.

Add the cans of chicken broth or 4 cups chicken stock.  And 4 cups filtered water.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil.

Once boiling.  Skim off the foam that rises to the top.

Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Add the kale.

Stir and simmer until kale is tender.  About 20 minutes.

Season with 2  teaspoons coarse sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Cooked and ready to serve.

Taste to see if additional salt and black pepper is needed.

And yes.  This pot of soup doesn’t look inviting.  It looks plain and ordinary.

But you know… somethings are good – plain and ordinary.

You’re just gonna have to take my word on this.  And try this soup for yourself…

And remember this…?

This salt pork is what makes this soup taste extra ordinary!

Topping a bowl of kale soup with several pieces of cooked salt pork, cooked pancetta, or thick slices of crispy bacon is mandatory.

Here’s the recipe:

Super Kalecious Soup

Serve 4 – 6 people

2 – 3 bunches kale – washed; leaves strip from stems and torn into chunks

12 ounces salt pork – rinsed under warm running water and thinly sliced

2 large potatoes – peeled and chopped

1 large red or yellow onion – peeled and chopped

4 large cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped

3 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth or 4 cups chicken stock

4 cups filtered water

2 ½ tsps. coarse celtic sea salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Wash kale under cold running water to remove dirt and sand.  Tear leaves from the stems.  Discard stems.  Leaves should be torn into small chunks.

Heat a large, deep pot and add the sliced salt pork.

Stir and cook salt pork over medium heat until until pork has rendered most of its fat.

Remove the salt pork with a slotted spoon into a dish and set aside.

Also remove most of the rendered fat, but retain at least 3 tablespoons in the pot.

Sauté onions and garlic in the salt pork fat.  Until onions are translucent.

Add the potatoes and saute for several minutes.

Add the cans of chicken broth or 4 cups chicken stock.  And 4 cups filtered water.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.  Once boiling.  Skim off the foam that rises to the top.

Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Add the kale.  Stir and simmer until kale is tender.  About 20 minutes.

Season with 2½ teaspoons coarse sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Scope about 1½ cups of kale soup into a serving bowl.  Top each bowl with several pieces of salt pork.

Serve piping hot with good crusty bread.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Salt pork.  Topping each bowl of kale soup with several pieces of thinly sliced, cooked salt pork is mandatory.  It completes the soup.

#2 – Chicken broth is the very foundation of this soup.  If you have time to make homemade chicken stock, the better.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Bone and Heart Warming Soup

Some people have issues with food colors.  Especially in their soup.  I know one person close to  me who have issues with food colors.  That was my dad.  He would not eat a squash soup.  Not because he did  not like squash.  But because of its texture and color.  It reminded him of something.  A small baby.  And what that baby does.  And since I am talking about food here.  I will not elaborate further.  Because it’s just not appropriate.

I didn’t know what made him think that way.  He just did.  Now at 43, and after reading the book Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin, I firmly believe that my dad was a high functioning autistic person.  He certainly displayed a lot of the qualities of an autistic person.  High tempered.  Meticulous.  And very creative.  I’m not saying that every person that displays this type of characteristics are autistic.  This is more likely my theory after reading the book I just mentioned.  And it’s probably wrong for me to theorize this way…

But, there was something about my dad…

His behavior in certain situations was a bit strange and out of the ordinary. In addition to avoiding foods of certain colors and texture.  He hates to see stacked up dirty dishes.  Something about the sight of dirty dishes – all stacked up, triggers a violent behavior in him.   And this happened more than once.

One day he came home from the farm.  I was probably about nine years old.  And none of us have had a chance to wash the dishes.  Now let me just tell you that washing dishes when I was little wasn’t as quick and easy as washing dishes in a civilized town or city.  We had no running water.  We had to fetch water using buckets, from the only faucet that serves the entire barrio, about half a mile away from our house.  And during the day, the line is usually very long.  And what’s worst is that, the faucet only had a trickle of water coming out of it.  So to fill a two gallon bucket would take at least 15 minutes.

So like I said, that day… none of us have had a chance to fetch water and therefore have not been able to wash the dishes from the night before.  So our dad came home… tired from the farm.  He was carrying a large woven basket, on his back, filled with cut up wood to fire up our earth filled, makeshift stove.   I could hear him outside.  Sighing, puffing, and catching his breath.

“Whew! That’s stuff is heavy.”

And then he came inside the kitchen.  He looked around to see where we were.  We were all upstairs, playing around.  As his eyes searched for us, the stacked up dishes caught his attention.

“What were you guys doing today?”

“Why are these plates still dirty?!” His voice sounded like a loud canon that has exploded.  He was yelling so loud that everyone within a mile radios probably heard him.

We hurried up and huddled in the corner.  Scared to death.  We know we are in trouble.

“Fine if you guys cannot wash these dishes.  Then we won’t be needing them!” As he started throwing them outside, one by one.

Craaaaack!

Booooom!

Claaannnkkk!

Splaaassssh!

The same noise and sound were repeated each time a plate or glass hits the rocky ground.

All the porcelain plates were broken.  And glass jars.  All scattered outside our kitchen, on the rocky shore.

None of us said a word.  I grabbed a bucket and ran.  Went to fetch water.

I came back half an hour later.  Dad was quietly stacking up the fire woods he brought from the farm, next to the earthen stove.

I went back outside to retrieve the pots and pan.  They were made of iron and survived.

From then on… we ate and drank from plastic plates and glasses.  So next time he throw them out, they won’t be broken.  They’ll just be scattered outside.  We  could retrieve them.  Wash them.  And still use them.

~~~

It’s starting to get chilly at night.  In the low 50’s at night and early morning here in Texas.  So I am gearing up for the cold and chilly winter.

I will be making plenty of heart and bone warning soups.  And might do more baking too.

As for this soup… these beans do not require soaking.  And takes less time to cook compared to any other dried beans.  So I can have this bone warming, highly nutritious soup in an hour.

This is a main dish soup that can stand alone as a meal.  Rich in fiber and protein.  And requires minimal time and efforts to make.  With simple and accessible ingredients that deliver superior taste and nutrients.

This soup keeps in the refrigerator for several days.  Just reheat a portion when you need some.

For those of you who would like to enjoy this hearty delicious soup, here’s what you’ll need and how to  make it…

Please note that this recipe is for a large pot of soup and will serve a whole neighborhood.  So if there’s only a few of you in your household, only use half a bag of each beans – about one cup of each – split peas and lentils.

Green Split Peas.  One 16 ounces bag. Sort through the beans and remove foreign items such as small rocks and dried out beans.

Dried lentils.  One 16 ounce bag.  Again, sort through the beans and remove foreign items such as small rocks and dried out beans. Just what  you’ve done with the split peas.

And… you’re going to need these… 12 ounce salt pork, one large red onion, 4 or 5 garlic cloves, and 4 or 5 jalapeno peppers.

Smash, peel and chop the garlic.  Chop the onion.  And cut the stems off the jalapeno peppers; slice and dice them.  (If you want less heat, removed the ribs and the seeds.)  The heat usually resides in the ribs of the jalapeno peppers and that’s why I kept them here. You know me…

And these… herbs.

And this… 4 cups chicken broth. Packaged, canned and or home-made.

And this – coarse gray sea salt.  My favorite salt in the world.  Especially for soups.  Excellent for soups.  We buy them by the sack.  Twenty pound sack.  It’s cheaper this way.  And it last us a very, very long time.

And of course spices. Ground black pepper and ground hot pepper.  You know me and my family.  We love hot and spicy foods.  Sweat inducing hot for my husband.  Medium hot for me and Ramon.

Oh yeah.  I almost forgot.  One pound thick cut bacon. Cooked until crispy and drained on paper towels.   And then crumbled to top each bowl of soup.  This step right here makes a big difference in taste.  It determines if I want to have second bowl or not.  (Sorry.  I forgot to take a picture of bacon cooking in a skillet.  But I’m sure you get the picture.)

So after the beans have been picked over.  I washed them under cold running water.  In a fine colander sitting inside a large bowl.   Wash them several times until water runs clear like this.  At first the water is going to look a little dirty and brownish.  So just keep washing and draining until it’s clean like this… Finally, once it’s looking might clean.  Strain the beans and sit aside.

Slice the salt pork into 1/2 inch thin slices.

Heat a large, deep pot over medium high heat and add the sliced salt pork.

Cook salt pork until it’s nice and slightly crispy.  And has rendered most of its fat.  Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat.  (Save the extra rendered salt pork fat in a glass jar and refrigerate for future use.)

Once the salt pork is cooked and beautiful like this.  And after removing most of the rendered fat, add the onions and garlic.  Saute onions until translucent.

Once the onions are good and translucent…

Add the chopped jalapenos.  And saute jalapenos for a few minutes until slightly cooked.

Add the washed split peas and lentils.  Stir.

Add to the beans:  4 cups chicken + 6 cups filtered water.

Stir the beans mixture.  Cover the pot and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.  This will take about 15 – 25 minutes.

Once the beans comes to a boil, skim off the foam.

Add the herbs: dried basil, dried thyme, 2 bay leaves and ground cumin.

Stir mixture and reduce heat to medium low.

Cover pot and simmer beans until cooked and tender, about 50 – 60 minutes.

Once the beans are cooked and tender, remove the salt pork and bay leaves using a slotted spoon.

Puree the soup with a hand held blender.  Or scoop half of the soup into a blender and puree.  If using a blender, you may have to puree the soup in two batches, depending on how much your blender can hold.  Since the soup is extremely hot, you can only fill the blender halfway to be able to safely puree the contents.

Add back the salt pork and bay leaves.

Taste the soup.  If needed, add sea salt one teaspoon at a time.

Add ground black pepper.  And ground hot pepper if using.

Keep the soup simmering over low heat.  Stirring occasionally until ready to serve.

Meanwhile…

Cook the thick slices of bacon in a large skillet, as you normally would.  Drain on paper towels.

Crumble one or two slices of bacon for each serving bowl of soup.

Serve soup with French baguette or with a good artisan bread.

Here’s the recipe:

Green Split Peas and Lentils Soup

Serves 8 or more people

Ingredients:

1 – 16 ounces bag green dried split peas – picked and washed

1 – 16 ounces bag dried lentils – picked and washed

12 ounces salt pork or pancetta – thinly sliced

1 large onion – diced

6 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

4 or 5 Jalapeno peppers – seeded and diced

4 cups chicken broth

6 cups filtered water

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1 – 3 tsps. coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

Crumbled thick slices of crispy bacon for topping

Pour the bag of split peas into a large bowl.  Sort through the beans and remove rocks and dried out, bad peas.  Do the same with the lentils.  Remove rocks and dried out, bad lentils.

Place both split peas and lentils in a fine, large colander, placed on top of a larger bowl.  Wash under cold running water.  Shaking the colander to get rid of sands.  Wash and drain about five times or until water runs clear.  Set aside.

Remove salt pork from plastic package.  Wash under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Slice thinly.

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the salt pork.  Cook the salt pork until most of fat has rendered.  Remove the fat rendered but keep about 3 tablespoons in the pot.  Store the extra rendered fat in a glass jar and refrigerate for future use.

Add the onions and garlic.   Saute onions until translucent.  Add the chopped jalapenos And saute for a few minutes until slightly cooked.

Add the washed split peas and lentils.  Stir.

Add the chicken broth and filtered water.  Stir.

Cover and bring pot to a boil over medium heat.

Once boiling, skim off the bubbles that surfaces on top.

Add the herbs: dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaves, and ground cumin.

Stir and cover the pot.  Reduce heat and simmer the beans for 50 -60 minutes or until beans are tender.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the salt pork and bay leaves.  Set aside.

Puree the beans using a hand held blender.  Or puree half of the beans in a blender.  You may want to do this in two batches, maybe 2 cups at a time.  Please be careful.  The soup is extremely hot and blender can explode if overfilled.

Once the beans are pureed… add back the salt pork and bay leaves.

Taste the beans for additional salt.  If salt is needed, add one teaspoon at a time, stirring and tasting after each addition.

Lastly, add the ground black pepper and ground hot pepper, if using.

While the keeping the soup simmering over low heat…

Cook the  bacon in a large skillet as you normally would.  Cook until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.

Crumble one slice of crispy bacon and top each bowl of soup.

Serve soup with French baguette or a good artisan bread.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Salt pork.  Salt pork is a my great secret for a lot of dishes, especially soups.

#2 – Coarse sea salt.  Unrefined gray sea salt is rich in vitamins and minerals and ideal for soups and stews.

#3 – Thick slices bacon.  Crumbled thick slices of bacon makes this soup whole.  The saltiness of the bacon is a great contrast to the slightly sweet taste of the split peas.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris