Monday, October 17, 2011

Prettying It Up

I made bean soup the other day, with no clear idea of how I wanted it to taste - I was just hungry for beans and I had about six cups of smoky chicken stock made from that same, well-loved chicken.

After soaking the flageolet beans overnight, I sautéed the usual suspects together (onion, garlic, celery), added the beans and the chicken broth and set them to simmering. Simmered for perhaps an hour. The color was an uninspiring yellowish brown. The taste was pretty, but not yet gorgeous, so I added some corn, chopped carrot and frozen peas. As it got lovelier, it also got tastier.

Sip, taste, still not beautiful, so I chopped a couple of chicken apple sausages and added them. Better, but still lacking a certain style. A healthy squirt of sriracha helped quite a bit and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro got us nearly there. The pièce de résistence was the juice from a quarter of a lime squirted into the soup at the table, partly for its flavor but also for the extra color.

Fabu soup for eye, tongue and tum.

6 Comments:

Blogger cookiecrumb said...

Well, it certainly is pretty! You could get your veggies to retain their shape by not cooking them with the beans, I don't think they need to go that long. Mangia!

Monday, October 17, 2011  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Cookie, I neglected to write how long I simmered before adding the fresher veggies, so you are forgiven for thinking I had cooked them to death. I have now revised for clarity.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011  
Blogger cookiecrumb said...

I should have kept my pie hole shut.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011  
Blogger Zoomie said...

No, no, that was not my intention! So easy to be misunderstood in "email." No nuance. I was glad you said that, so I could revise.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011  
Blogger Toons said...

Seems funny to me that just looking at some foods makes me a little more relaxed, or should I say comfortable...

Tuesday, October 18, 2011  
Blogger Zoomie said...

James, what an interesting reaction! I guess the anticipation of pleasure is relaxing.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home