Cold Weather Comfort Food

Just about the only thing I like about cold weather is that most evenings, I can serve a hearty soup or stew for supper.  My absolute favorite is 15 Bean Soup.  I made this the first time using a dried bean mix.  Now I usually purchase all fifteen of the beans. ( Technically though, one or two aren't really beans.) One cup of each and you are good for a year since it takes three cups of the dried beans to make a batch.  You can freely sub a different bean if one on this list isn't available at the grocery.

Fifteen beans (more or less)

Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Black-eyed Peas, Garbanzo beans, Small white, Baby Lima, Split Green Peas, Pearl Barley, Kidney Beans, White Kidney Beans, Dark Red Kidney Beans, Pink Kidney Beans, Small Red beans, Black Beans, Yellow split peas, Lentils, Navy beans.  You could also add Quinoa if you like.

Or you can buy  the beans pre-mixed called HamBeen's. Just skip their  smoke seasoning. It is full of salt you don't need and the flavor is decidedly artificial. 

To start the dry beans, 

Rinse 3 cups beans in colander and discard any debris. Also throw away broken beans.

Place the dry beans in a large pot and cover with water. Soak over night.  Rinse, cover with water and soak for an additional several hours. Or  skip the over night step and put the beans and about 5 to 6 cups of water in your slow cooker and set the timer for four hours. Now your beans are ready to cook in the soup.

Place the beans in a large stock pot and add one large onion, coarsely chopped, three stalks celery, sliced, one large carrot peeled and chopped. Add about1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic and several real ham hocks if you can find them. I always save the bone from spiral cut hams to use, one bone per batch  Also add one can diced tomatoes or if you like spicier soup, use a can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies. I like to add about 1cup of diced ham but this is optional as the stew is already full of flavor and protein. Increase the heat to boiling and add about 2 quarts water.  Simmer for an hour or two until the beans are cooked and serve.  I like a splash of vinegar in mine but the Grillmaster prefers Tabasco in his. This is a complete meal so just add some bread or crackers if you like.