L’Escargot served a Black Bean Soup with Shrimp for lunch which was exceptional.  I finally met the chef and asked him what wine he used in the soup and he said sherry in a very off-handed manner as if I couldn’t boil water.  Little did he know…  I was crewing and cooking aboard chartered yachts at the time and developing a pallet for all things gourmet.

By the end of the yacht season I had succeeded in making a creamy black bean soup with  sherried shrimp that everyone loved.  Topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt and fresh cilantro this soup is a delicious experience.  Serve it with a crunchy baguette and wedge of lime.

Turtle Black Beans are available in most supermarkets in the dry bean isle.  They can be soaked overnight in double the water.  So, cover 2 cups of dried beans with 4 cups of water.  If you have a pressure cooker, rinse your beans, place in the pressure cooker and add double the water and process for 45 minutes.  Refer to the bean package for quick soak method which involves boiling the beans first then soaking for an hour.  Caution:  DO NOT ADD SALT TO BEANS until they are softened.  The salt will prevent the beans from softening, even in a pressure cooker.  Depending on your tap water source, you may want to use filtered water as some water conditioners are salty.  If you don’t want to fool with the dry beans, canned beans are widely available.

If you cook a whole package of dry beans, freeze half for Mediterranean Black Bean Salad or Chorizo and Black Bean Empanadas.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 strips bacon, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. 26/30 shrimp, deveined and shelled
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups black turtle beans with juice (2-14.5 oz cans)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Tabasco sauce or red pepper flakes to taste
• fresh cilantro to garnish
• creme fraiche or Greek Yogurt to garnish
• lime wedges (optional)

Method:

1. In a soup pot, saute bacon, onions and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat for 5 or 6 minutes.  Add sherry to deglaze pot.
2. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp just turn pink.  Remove shrimp to a bowl.
3. Puree 1 can of beans (about 2 cups) in a blender or food processor.  Add beans and remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes stirring from time to time.  Add water, stock or more bean juice if soup is too thick.  ( If you prefer, puree beans with a stick-blender after adding them to the pot.)
4. Return shrimp to beans and cook until shrimp is done (opaque), about 5 minutes.  Take care not to overcook shrimp or they will be rubbery.
5. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, dish up and garnish as desired.

One can never have too many soup or chowder recipes and even though they all start with a basic mirepoix the star of the soup is the main ingredient which distinguishes one soup or chowder from the next.

So, okay I was cleaning out the freezer and frig and dumped it all into a pot of happy mirepoix in white wine.  A fillet of tilapia, a piece of salmon, a small seabass fillet, one russet potato, the dregs of some fresh herbs and tomato paste literally made this a delicious comfort dish.   If I’d had some shell fish on hand, it would have been a bonus.

This dish would be good with pasta or rice instead of potatoes.  You could add white beans like cannelini or northern (navy) beans.

A tip for those who buy tomato paste in 6-oz cans and only use a tablespoon or 2;  spoon the remaining tomato paste into a small zip-lock bag, store it in the door of your frig, it’ll keep for a couple weeks at least.  Snip one end of the bag to extrude the paste as needed.

A spur-of-the-moment dish? Yes!  A hearty dish? Yes!  Easy to make? Amen!  And all from bits and pieces you probably have on hand.  Think about this the next time you clean out the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 2 strips of bacon, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 large potato, diced
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups fish stock (chicken stock or water may be used)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste diluted in 1/4 cup stock
• 2 dashes of Tabasco or cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 or 4 sprigs fresh tarragon, removed from stem and chopped slightly
• 1/2 lb. fish fillets in bite size pieces ( use the seafood and shell fish you have on hand)
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted (optional)
• 1 Tbsp flour (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Saute bacon in a soup pot over medium heat to render the fat.
2. Add the onions, celery, potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium high heat about 10 minutes stirring ocassionally.
3. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring.
4. Add the stock, cover and cook until potatoes are done.  Remove 1/4 cup of stock and blend with tomato paste.  Mash some of the potatoes for a thicker and creamier consistency.
5. Pour diluted tomato paste into pot and stir.  Add thyme, tarragon, fish fillets and cook for 5 minutes more.
6. If a thicker chowder is desired mix melted butter with flour and whisk into chowder then cook for 5 minutes before adding fish.
7. Remove a tablespoon of chowder to cool for a minute and taste for salt and pepper.  Add more seasoning if needed.
8. Serve with lemon and parsley garnish, crusty bread, salad and wine.

If you have extra fresh turkey and a grinder simply mince the turkey in the grinder.  Remove the flesh from the thighs, legs and the tail.  Breast meat is rather dry and bland whereas the thighs and legs have more flavor and fat.   If you don’t have a grinder, freeze chunks of turkey and mince the chunks in your food processor.  However, ground turkey is available at most supermarkets so save yourself some time and work.

Beans can be dried or canned but for my money I prefer dried beans and the juice created during the cooking process is far superior in flavor to that of canned beans, which tend to be overly salted.  Use red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans or a combination.  I prefer red beans with black beans.

Best to soak dried beans overnight according to package instructions but a quick way to plump up dried beans is to wash them first, cover with water up to 1-inch above the beans , do not salt the water, bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and let soak for 1 or 2 hours.  Be sure you do not salt the water.  Salting the water will prevent the beans from softening.

Finally, bring the soaked beans to a boil over high heat then reduce to a lively simmer and cook until really soft and tender, about 1.5 to 2 hours.   You can use a crock pot for this step so the beans will cook to tender while you’re at work or running errands.

Use the 5 bean test to make sure the beans are really tender.  If 4 out of 5 beans are soft and slightly squishy, they are done and ready to add meat, veggies and seasoning.  You’ll need 3 cups of cooked beans with the cooking liquid for this recipe.  Freeze the remainder for re-fried beans, minestrone, arroz con pollo, bean salad or other dishes.

While the beans are on their final cooking, prepare the Turkey Sausage.  Always test fry a small patty of sausage to check for seasoning.  If its to your liking then proceed.  At this point sausage patties can be made, wrapped and frozen for breakfast or biscuits and gravy.

Ingredients:

Turkey Sausage:

•  1 pound of ground raw turkey
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

Chile:

• 3 cups cooked beans and liquid or 1 can of red beans and 1 can of black beans
• 1 lb Homemade Turkey Sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp chile powder
• 1 fresh hot chile of choice, minced with or without seeds and veins or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano or 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp masa harina (Mexican corn tortilla flour or 1 crisp corn tortilla finely crushed)

Garnishes:

• cilantro leaves
• cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese grated
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• pickled jalapeno peppers
• sliced scallions (spring onions)

Method:

1. To prepare the Turkey Sausage, mix all ingredients in a bowl taking care not to overwork the meat.  Make a tiny patty with 1 Tbsp of the seasoned meat and fry it in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until done, turning once.  Taste the patty for seasoning and adjust the sausage if needed.
2. In a non-stick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and wilted. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon or potato masher as it cooks.  Cook the sausage only until it is no longer pink.  Add to the beans with cooking liquid in a large sauce pan.
3. Add the remaining chile ingredients to the beans and meat.  Bring to a slow boil for 10-15 minutes.
4. Using a potato masher, smash some of the beans to make it creamy.   Continue to simmer until juices are creamy and juices have reduced to your taste.
5. Let cool for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with garnishes, warm tortillas or bread.

An emersion blender is handy for pureeing soups right in the stock pot and eliminates having to batch-puree in a blender or food processor.

Ingredients: 

• 4 fresh sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 stock of celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 chipolte chiles, minced
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 can coconut milk (unsweetened)

Method:

1. Place sweet potatoes, celery, onion, and chicken stock in a stock pot and bring to a boil.  Cook until potatoes are tender, remove veggies and puree. 
2. Return veggies to stock pot and add chiles, curry powder, thyme, and coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes more.
3. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve with a dollop of sour cream, chopped chives, or minced parsley for a vegan version.   Crisp bacon bits may be added for carnivores.

Makes 8 servings.  Serve with a pear and arugula salad and corn bread for a quick lunch or supper.

Start with a little homemade herbed-chicken stock, bring to a lively simmer, toss in some cooked noodles, add tarragon, capers, fresh basil, and finish it with chunks from the tail-end of a salmon fillet and a glob of homemade creme fraiche.  Add salt and freshly ground black pepper and a dash of chili sauce for sparkle.  It’s just that simple and soul satisfying served for a light supper with crunchy French bread and a glass of wine.

To make the chicken stock, be frugual and use the carcass of a roasted chicken with all the bones, wings tips and back meat.  Add roughly chopped celery, onion, leek and carrot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.  Add a splash or 2 of white wine or vermouth, and sprigs of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  Let simmer for at least 1 hour.  The longer it cooks the richer the flavor.  Cool and refrigerate the entire stockpot contents overnight.  Skim solidified fat from the top surface, warm slightly and strain.  Discard solids and pour strained stock into freezer safe containers to store. 

If you buy a whole fillet of salmon, cut 2-inch-wide slices for grilling from the main section of the fillet.  There is always the thin section towards the tail that can be skinned and used in soups, casseroles, kabobs and more.  Be sure to remove any bones from the thick slices.  A pair of tweezers works well for this task.