2 lb dried black (turtle) beans
1 1/4 cup best-quality olive oil
3 cup diced yellow onions
12 cloves garlic, crushed
1 very meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham, hocks
8 qt water
3 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp coarse (kosher) salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
8 tbsp chopped fresh italian parsley
1 3/4 to 2 pounds fresh garlic sausage
6 sweet italian sausage links, cut in, to 1-inch pieces
6 hot italian sausage links, cut into, 1-inch pieces
1 lb bratwurst, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium-size sweet red peppers, core, d, seeded, a
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Directions
From The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.
" Our black bean soup is a Silver Palate staple. In this recipe we've
dressed it up with lots of hot and garlicky sausages, sweet red
peppers, a bit of brown sugar, and unusual spices. This makes a meal
when served with a crisp, tart green salad."
Sour cream
1. Soak the black beans in water to cover overnight.
2. Heat 1 cup of the oil in a large heavy stock pot over low heat.
Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are limp, about
10 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the stock pot. Add the ham
bone and 6 quarts of the water. Stir in the cumin, oregano, bay
leaves, salt, pepper, cayenne, and 3 tablespoons of the parsely. Heat
to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered at a slow
rolling boil for 2 hours, skimming foam from the top and stirring
occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. Place the garlic sausage in a medium-size saucepan and add the
remaining 2 quarts water. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and
simmer for 40 minutes. Drain. Remove casings and cut into 1/2-inch
slices.
5. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy skillet over
medium heat. Add the Italian sausages and saute until browned.
Remove the sausages with a slotted spoon.
6. In the same skillet, saute the bratwurst until browned. Remove
with a slotted spoon.
7. After 2 hours of cooking, process 2 cups of the beans in a food
processor fitted with a steel blade until smooth and return to the
pot. Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
8. Add all the sausages and the red peppers and cook for another 30
minutes.
9. Remove the ham bone from the soup, shred the meat and return to
the pot. Stir in the sherry, sugar, and lemon juice.
10. Cook over medium heat until the beans are very soft and the soup
is thick, 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in the remaining 5 tablespoons
chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings.
11. Ladle the soup into soup bowls and dollop each serving with sour
cream.
Makes 16 portions.
Posted by Kyosho Connick. Courtesy of Fred Peters.
Servings: 16 servings
Black Bean "Cassoulet" Soup Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Soup; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We can read the history of written recipes back into the far past, certainly as far as pharonic Egypt, and maybe even further. Interesting though that maybe, these, old cook books were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to experts in ancient history is a series of clay tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel wonderful. Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius created a number of documents detailing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his works, Apicius tells us how the roman meals were separated into starters, main course and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius recounts how the ancient chefs made use of a wide range of herbs, including some that we all recognise for example basil, rue and asafoetida. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and herbs from the holy lands, including spices such as coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new herbs and spices was responsible for an increase in recipe manuscripts, some of which still exist in private libraries. For the next few years, the rich families of Wesstern Europe competed to lay on the most extravagent meals, and consequentially chefs and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Even so, it was during the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and recipe publications really came of age. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and recording the recipes of their peers. By the advent of the twentieth century, cooking publications are highly popular mostly as a result of better eduction, leisure time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Black Bean _Cassoulet_ Soup recipe.
