Pair this hearty soup with
a fresh pan of hot Skillet Cornbread and you've got a meal. This recipe was created
by my husband, Don. From the long and unusual list of ingredients,
it is suspect that he just kept adding to the pot until it was
"just right"! Whatever his method, this hearty soup
is delicious and his recipe is often requested.
Spicy
Western Bean Soup
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- Approximately 2 pounds
smoked ham hocks
- Water
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly
packed
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire
sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato chili
sauce
- 1 to 2 pickled hot peppers,
plus 1 tablespoon of juice
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco brand
hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
leaves
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
flakes (optional)
- 2 (14.8-ounce) cans diced
tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons kosher or
sea salt - or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
- The night before: Sort
through beans, discarding rocks and bad beans. Rinse off thoroughly
and drain. Place beans
in large cooking pot and fill with water to about 2-inches above
beans. Cover and allow to
soak overnight. (See Cooking Tip.)
- The next day: Drain water
from soaked beans, then add enough fresh water to cover beans.
Add the ham hocks and bring to
a boil, skimming foam from the water's surface as it rises and
discard.
- Add the chopped onion
and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add the remaining ingredients
and continue simmering for another 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove cover during the last
half hour of cooking to reduce and thicken broth.
Makes 12 servings.
Cooking Tip: Instead of
soaking the beans overnight (preferred method), place beans in
water, bring to a boil and
cook, uncovered for 3 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot
and allow beans to soak for
1 hour. Drain water and continue with recipe.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): 396.1 calories; 38% calories from
fat; 16.5g total fat; 51.4mg cholesterol; 916.3mg sodium; 1085.3mg
potassium; 39.6g carbohydrates; 7.0g fiber; 12.0g sugar; 32.6g
net carbs; 22.3g protein.
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