Cajun Bean Soup →

A common conundrum after cooking a bone-in ham is what to do with the ham bone and leftover ham. Problem solved! Loaded with healthy legumes, sofrito vegetables, and hearty spices, this soup makes good use of your leftover ham bone and some of the extra ham from that Easter Ham you cooked. Add some spicy smokey Andouille sausage to the mix and you’ve got a winner on your table!  Laissez le bon temps rouler! Bon appétit y’all!  

Cajun Bean Soup
Serves 8 

INGREDIENTS 

• Water - for soaking beans

• Pinch of baking soda + 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 ½ pounds of 7 bean mix (or use 15 bean mix if you can find it; discard the seasoning packet)

• 1 large onion - chopped

• 1 large green bell pepper - chopped

• 2 stalks of celery - chopped

• 6 cloves garlic - finely chopped

• 8 cups chicken broth

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (this gives you a mild-to-medium spicy heat: add more spice if you want more heat)

• 1 can (15-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes - undrained

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• ¾ - 1 pound Andouille sausage - sliced

• 1 ham bone with ham on it or a ham-hock or 8 ounces of diced leftover ham

• 4 slices of bacon - cooked crisp and crumbled

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

• Hot sauce to taste (use your favorite hot sauce)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste 

PREPARATION 

1. Approximately 1 hour before starting the slow cooker, bring a large saucepan with water to a boil. You want enough water in the pan so the beans will be covered by at least an inch of water. Rinse the beans and check for stones. Add the beans, a pinch of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water; turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.

2. While the beans are soaking, in a large, heavy-bottom skillet, sauté the bacon until crispy and set aside on a paper towel. Brown the sausage and set it aside with the bacon.

3. In the same pan, sauté the onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic until barely tender scraping up any caramelized brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

4. Combine the beans, onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, chicken broth, bay leaves, and ham bone in a slow cooker. Cook 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.

5. When the beans have approximately 1 hour to go on high or 2 hours to go on low, remove the ham bone and set it aside to cool so you can remove any ham left on the bone. You want about a cup of ham, so add diced ham to make a cup if necessary. Discard the bone.

6. Add the Cajun seasoning, tomatoes, tomato paste, sliced sausage, ham, and bacon to the slow cooker. Mix well, cover, and complete the slow cooker cycle.

7. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Adjust the salt and black pepper to taste and serve garnished with chopped parsley and hot sauce on the side. A good crusty bread for dipping is mandatory! 

Leftover soup can be kept covered in the fridge for about five days, or frozen for about three months.

Wine pairing: full-bodied off-dry white wines like Riesling, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, or Chenin blank pair well with this soup. You could also try a Pilsner or Lager beer, or a Porter or Brown Ale. Avoid overly hoppy beers.

Adapted from: https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/slow-cooker-cajun-15-bean-soup

Clam Soup with Navy Beans and Pancetta

In New England, one of our traditional comfort foods is rich, creamy, sweet and briny Clam Chowder flavored with fresh Little Neck clams, cream, thyme, onions, garlic, diced potatoes, and salt pork or slab bacon. Here’s an easy to make, satisfying Mediterranean inspired alternative to the iconic New England chowder that uses a milk-free rich broth of clam juice and white wine; fresh chopped clams; pancetta, instead of bacon or salt pork; and white navy beans instead of potatoes. I hope you enjoy it with friends and family.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1/3 cup diced pancetta

• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• ½ c. day old bread cut into ½ “ croutons

• One 15-ounce can navy beans with their liquid

• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (½ tsp. dried)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 packet Sazón Goya with saffron

• 2 cups of clam juice (available from your fish monger or supermarket)

• ½ c. dry white wine

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 3/4 - 2 cups chopped clams (if you don’t want to shuck your own clams, check in with your local fishmonger, or the fresh fish counter at your local supermarket.)

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• crusty bread (optional)

*Note: you can also add 15-20 small Little Neck clams in their shells in place of the chopped clams. After you bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the clams, cover and cook about 3 minutes or just until the shells open. Remove from the heat and discard any clams whose shells have not opened.

Preparation:

1. In a large deep skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering, brown the croutons and set aside.
2. Wipe out the skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering and brown the pancetta; set aside.
3. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and the onion and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. (don’t let it burn or it will be bitter)
5. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the skillet, add the reserved clam juice, add the beans and their liquid along with the thyme, Sazón, pancetta, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
6. Simmer the soup over low heat for 10 minutes; discard the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme.
7. Add the clams, bring the soup to a boil over high heat; reduce to low-heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the soup with the croutons and parsley and serve.

You may want some good quality, crusty bread to help sop up the flavorful soup broth

An Italian Vermentino, Spanish Albariño, or Sauvignon Blanc or other medium bodied dry white wine pairs well with this dish.