Charlevoix Bean Soup

Nothing is more rewarding on a cold winter’s day than creating a soup or stew in your crock pot.



















Last Sunday, I worked with heirloom organic beans from Seed Savers Exchange called Charlevoix Dark Red Kidney Beans -- "Prized for the tasty thick broth it produces in soups, stews & chilies."

I had a 12 oz. sample of the Charlevoix beans to work with, so here is my complete recipe.






































Ingredients:

1 12 oz. package of Charlevoix Dark Red Kidney Beans

1 12 oz. bottle of St. Pauli Girl Dark beer (or your favorite dark beer)

1 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 jalapeno pepper diced (optional)

1 large onion diced

1 head of orange cauliflower cut into 1 inch sections (plain cauliflower is fine)

1 head of broccoli cut into 1 inch sections

2 carrots peeled & sliced

2 stalks of celery chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

Notes:

For each can of chicken broth add 1 can of water.
For each can of tomatoes & chilies add 1 can of water.
Beef broth can be used instead of chicken, if you prefer.




















Preparation:

In a large sauce pan, Pour 4 quarts of boiling water over beans to cover with at least 4 inches of water.
Soak beans for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare crock pot by adding the following:
1 bottle of dark beer, 1 can of chicken stock with 1 can of water, 1 can of tomatoes & chilies with 1 can of water.
Set crock to “high” and prepare and add vegetables.

Slow cooked (recommended)
After beans have soaked for an hour, drain.
Add beans to crock pot. Stir once or twice each hour for at least 8 to 10 hours.
Set crock pot to “low” an additional 8 to 12 hours (usually overnight).

The longer you let the beans simmer in the crock pot, the thicker the broth will get—well worth the wait!

Faster cooking time
You may speed up the cooking time by preparing the beans on the stove:
Drain after 1 hour soaking and add fresh water.
Bring to a boil then simmer 45 minutes or until tender.
Add to crock pot and let cook for 2 hours.


Comments:

They weren't kidding when they said that the Charlevoix Dark Red Kidney Bean makes a thick & tasty broth - Wow, outstanding!

This is the fundamental recipe for all of my bean soups. I used one variety here but in reality, you can do multi-bean soups such as the 15 bean soup packages at your local supermarket.

I am planning to buy Charlevoix beans to plant in the 2008 garden. Hopefully they will do well so I can make more great soups next season.