Welcome back!


The picture is a snapshot of what rose hips look like in the snow. Beautiful.

New Year weekend wildlife included a fat pheasant who hung around for 3 days, and many deer footprints. No sightings of ruminants. I set out barley for the pheasant, hoping he would like it, but it was ignored. He must have found better cuisine elsewhere in the neighborhood.

REGARDING YESTERDAY & PEA SOUP: A correction is necessary. If you have a soup bone, please cook it with the soaked peas or beans. You will NOT need any additional bouillon cubes or stock, or salt. Taste for seasoning the last 30 minutes. Ham bone may provide enough salt.

The noble bean has endless possibilities. If you like to "cook once" and "eat at least twice" or more, preparing a pot of beans (any color) will expand into many easy dishes.

Cooking Navy Beans (beans + liquid + seasonings)

1# navy beans
3 quarts cold water
Soak overnight (or if you are in a hurry, cover dry beans with boiling water, put a lid on the kettle and let stand 1-2 hours. Then drain, rinse and proceed)

In a large kettle, place rinsed beans, 3 bay leaves, and cold water to cover (at least 2" over beans) and 2 teaspoons salt.

Simmer one hour. Beans should be soft, but not falling apart.

For soup:

Remove bay leaves. Process contents of kettle with a hand blender, or in a food processor if necessary. If soup is too thin for your preference, reduce liquid and make it thicker by boiling it for a few more minutes. Some prefer a few whole beans remaining for interesting texture. Your choice. Slice in some cooked sausage. SERVE in warmed bowls with crusty bread.

Variations tomorrow. Cooked beans maybe used drained and chilled for a variety of salads and vegetarian side dishes.

KGC