Thread: The plan. Let's see how it turns out...

phaeton <[email protected]> wrote:

>Speaking of beans...

>I've got the taste for a savory bean stew type of meal. Here's what I
>plan on starting with:
>
>1) Soak a pound of pinto beans in water overnight. Rinse, boil, rinse
>etc as necessary.
>
>2) Saute in olive oil the following, in batches if necessary: 1 white
>onion (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped) and 3 or 4 cloves of
>garlic (chopped)
>
>3) Throw onion, pepper and garlic into a stock pot. Add about 1.5
>cups of merlot or burgundy wine.
>
>4) Brown about a pound of bulk sausage (or sausage links with the skin
>cut off and the contents spread out into a pan). I can't decide
>between bratwurst, chorizo or andouille, or even just plain ground
>pork. Drain fat, and put into stock pot.
>
>5) Bring stockpot contents to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer with
>the lid on for about 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to 'juice
>out'.
>
>6) Add beans to stock pot. Add enough chicken broth to get the liquid
>level up to the top layer of beans.
>
>7) Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce heat, put the lid on and
>simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour.
>
>8) Serve with a crusty wheat bread or brown rice.
>
>
>A little much for this time of year, perhaps, but it sounds good to
>me. If this were you, how would you do it? What would you add,
>subtract, or change?

Sounds great. The proportion of wine seems high. You may not
wish to commit to the entire amount of wine early in the
recipe, before tasting. The proportion of onion/green pepper seems low.
It's not clear how much chicken stock you would end up using but you
don't want it too broth-y. (At least, I wouldn't want it to be.)
The proportion of sausage is possibly more than you need, depending
on preferences.


Steve

On Jul 20, 1:07*am, spop...@speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote:
> phaeton *<blahbleh...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >Speaking of beans...
> >I've got the taste for a savory bean stew type of meal. *Here's what I
> >plan on starting with:
>
> >1) Soak a pound of pinto beans in water overnight. *Rinse, boil, rinse
> >etc as necessary.
>
> >2) Saute in olive oil the following, in batches if necessary: 1 white
> >onion (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped) and 3 or 4 cloves of
> >garlic (chopped)
>
> >3) Throw onion, pepper and garlic into a stock pot. *Add about 1.5
> >cups of merlot or burgundy wine.
>
> >4) Brown about a pound of bulk sausage (or sausage links with the skin
> >cut off and the contents spread out into a pan). *I can't decide
> >between bratwurst, chorizo or andouille, or even just plain ground
> >pork. *Drain fat, and put into stock pot.
>
> >5) Bring stockpot contents to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer with
> >the lid on for about 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to 'juice
> >out'.
>
> >6) Add beans to stock pot. *Add enough chicken broth to get the liquid
> >level up to the top layer of beans.
>
> >7) Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce heat, put the lid on and
> >simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour.
>
> >8) *Serve with a crusty wheat bread or brown rice.
>
> >A little much for this time of year, perhaps, but it sounds good to
> >me. *If this were you, how would you do it? *What would you add,
> >subtract, or change?
>
> Sounds great. *The proportion of wine seems high. * You may not
> wish to commit to the entire amount of wine early in the
> recipe, before tasting. *The proportion of onion/green pepper seems low.. *
> It's not clear how much chicken stock you would end up using but you
> don't want it too broth-y. *(At least, I wouldn't want it to be.)
> The proportion of sausage is possibly more than you need, depending
> on preferences.
>
> Steve

This is exactly the thing I'm not real sure on- the proportioning.

And no, I don't want it too brothy. I don't want a soup, i want a
stew, or thicker. The sausage is more for flavoring, I suppose.
There is no harm in the added protein, but this is a bean dish, after
all.

What's a good quantity of wine and onion/green pepper to start with?

Thanks

-J

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:07:50 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Sounds great. The proportion of wine seems high. You may not
> wish to commit to the entire amount of wine early in the
> recipe, before tasting. The proportion of onion/green pepper seems low.
> It's not clear how much chicken stock you would end up using but you
> don't want it too broth-y. (At least, I wouldn't want it to be.)
> The proportion of sausage is possibly more than you need, depending
> on preferences.

My thoughts were different. I would choose mexican chorizo for the
pintos and no wine, alcohol isn't absolutely necessary - but if I used
any it would be beer. I also don't know how well cooked the beans are
supposed to be when the rest of the cooking starts to happen, but
bringing the liquid to the top of the beans is a minimum amount AFAIC.
If the bean mixture is the way he wants at the end of the cooking time
and it's too brothy, he can always remove the beans and boil down the
liquid. If it was me, the beans would probably need more liquid
because I like my beans really cooked. I don't want every bean to be
whole.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"Steve Pope" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:j05rbm$jur$[email protected]..
> phaeton <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Speaking of beans...
>
>>I've got the taste for a savory bean stew type of meal. Here's what I
>>plan on starting with:
>>
>>1) Soak a pound of pinto beans in water overnight. Rinse, boil, rinse
>>etc as necessary.
>>
>>2) Saute in olive oil the following, in batches if necessary: 1 white
>>onion (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped) and 3 or 4 cloves of
>>garlic (chopped)
>>
>>3) Throw onion, pepper and garlic into a stock pot. Add about 1.5
>>cups of merlot or burgundy wine.
>>
>>4) Brown about a pound of bulk sausage (or sausage links with the skin
>>cut off and the contents spread out into a pan). I can't decide
>>between bratwurst, chorizo or andouille, or even just plain ground
>>pork. Drain fat, and put into stock pot.
>>
>>5) Bring stockpot contents to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer with
>>the lid on for about 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to 'juice
>>out'.
>>
>>6) Add beans to stock pot. Add enough chicken broth to get the liquid
>>level up to the top layer of beans.
>>
>>7) Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce heat, put the lid on and
>>simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour.
>>
>>8) Serve with a crusty wheat bread or brown rice.
>>
>>
>>A little much for this time of year, perhaps, but it sounds good to
>>me. If this were you, how would you do it? What would you add,
>>subtract, or change?
>
> Sounds great. The proportion of wine seems high. You may not
> wish to commit to the entire amount of wine early in the
> recipe, before tasting. The proportion of onion/green pepper seems low.
> It's not clear how much chicken stock you would end up using but you
> don't want it too broth-y. (At least, I wouldn't want it to be.)
> The proportion of sausage is possibly more than you need, depending
> on preferences.
>
>
> Steve

Beans and wine aren't a good combination. At least, not cooking them
together. And certainly not merlot or burgundy! Way too heavy. Bean soup
doesn't need that. If I were going to make pinto bean soup I'd lean towards
a simple bean with bacon

But if the OP wants to add sausage I'd go for the andoulle before I'd use
chorizo, but that's just me. And I certainly wouldn't take the skin off;
just slice it into rounds and brown it before tossing it in the soup.

Mexican chorizo is too greasy. Go for the Portguese type of sausage if you
want chorizo (aka chourico). Or use linguica.

One of my favourite sites is Gaspar's:

http://www.gasparssausage.com/

Jill

i would use vegetable broth instead of chicken, and i would just slice the
sausages if using the links cutting as thin as possible, Lee
"phaeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Speaking of beans...
>
> I've got the taste for a savory bean stew type of meal. Here's what I
> plan on starting with:
>
> 1) Soak a pound of pinto beans in water overnight. Rinse, boil, rinse
> etc as necessary.
>
> 2) Saute in olive oil the following, in batches if necessary: 1 white
> onion (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped) and 3 or 4 cloves of
> garlic (chopped)
>
> 3) Throw onion, pepper and garlic into a stock pot. Add about 1.5
> cups of merlot or burgundy wine.
>
> 4) Brown about a pound of bulk sausage (or sausage links with the skin
> cut off and the contents spread out into a pan). I can't decide
> between bratwurst, chorizo or andouille, or even just plain ground
> pork. Drain fat, and put into stock pot.
>
> 5) Bring stockpot contents to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer with
> the lid on for about 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to 'juice
> out'.
>
> 6) Add beans to stock pot. Add enough chicken broth to get the liquid
> level up to the top layer of beans.
>
> 7) Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce heat, put the lid on and
> simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour.
>
> 8) Serve with a crusty wheat bread or brown rice.
>
>
> A little much for this time of year, perhaps, but it sounds good to
> me. If this were you, how would you do it? What would you add,
> subtract, or change?
>
> Thanks.
>
> -J
>
>

phaeton <[email protected]> wrote:

>What's a good quantity of wine and onion/green pepper to start with?

I typically use 2 each onion / green pepper per dried pound of beans.

The wine... hard to say, I tend to use crushed tomatoes, and then
just a quarter cup or so of wine if I include it. But you're
going for a different effect. I'm interested to learn how the
wine-based approach works out.


Steve

On 7/20/2011 12:48 AM, phaeton wrote:
> Speaking of beans...
>
> I've got the taste for a savory bean stew type of meal. Here's what I
> plan on starting with:
>
> 1) Soak a pound of pinto beans in water overnight. Rinse, boil, rinse
> etc as necessary.
>
> 2) Saute in olive oil the following, in batches if necessary: 1 white
> onion (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped) and 3 or 4 cloves of
> garlic (chopped)
>
> 3) Throw onion, pepper and garlic into a stock pot. Add about 1.5
> cups of merlot or burgundy wine.
>
> 4) Brown about a pound of bulk sausage (or sausage links with the skin
> cut off and the contents spread out into a pan). I can't decide
> between bratwurst, chorizo or andouille, or even just plain ground
> pork. Drain fat, and put into stock pot.
>
> 5) Bring stockpot contents to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer with
> the lid on for about 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to 'juice
> out'.
>
> 6) Add beans to stock pot. Add enough chicken broth to get the liquid
> level up to the top layer of beans.
>
> 7) Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce heat, put the lid on and
> simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour.
>
> 8) Serve with a crusty wheat bread or brown rice.
>
>
> A little much for this time of year, perhaps, but it sounds good to
> me. If this were you, how would you do it? What would you add,
> subtract, or change?
>
> Thanks.
>
> -J

Let us know how it turns out. BTW, I don't soak pinto beans over
night. I rinse the beans then cook them. You could saute your onions,
peppers, garlic and sausage, then add the beans and water to the pot. I
would skip the wine and add bacon fat instead. Again, let us know how
this turns out.

Becca

In article <[email protected]>,
sf <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:07:50 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
> > Sounds great. The proportion of wine seems high. You may not
> > wish to commit to the entire amount of wine early in the
> > recipe, before tasting. The proportion of onion/green pepper seems low.
> > It's not clear how much chicken stock you would end up using but you
> > don't want it too broth-y. (At least, I wouldn't want it to be.)
> > The proportion of sausage is possibly more than you need, depending
> > on preferences.
>
> My thoughts were different. I would choose mexican chorizo for the
> pintos and no wine, alcohol isn't absolutely necessary - but if I used
> any it would be beer. I also don't know how well cooked the beans are
> supposed to be when the rest of the cooking starts to happen, but
> bringing the liquid to the top of the beans is a minimum amount AFAIC.
> If the bean mixture is the way he wants at the end of the cooking time
> and it's too brothy, he can always remove the beans and boil down the
> liquid. If it was me, the beans would probably need more liquid
> because I like my beans really cooked. I don't want every bean to be
> whole.

I would use the Mexican chorizo, and use it to cook the other
vegetables, too. I'd add tequila instead of wine, but toward the end of
the cooking. I'd also toss in some sliced jalapeno at the end.

Regards,
Ranee @ Arabian Knits

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

I wasn't sure on the wine either, (it's in a lot of beef stews, and i
saw it in a couple of bean stuff online, but you know how online
recipes go). After reading this far, I'm going to skip it entirely.

Vegetable stock insteaf of chicken stock... sure, why not?

I was also debating on crumbling the sausage vs. cutting chunks. I'm
not interested in bacon this time around because I want something
fairly meaty but not so salty. But I like bacon + beans in other
instances too.

The reason I'm cooking the beans separate is because that's how I've
always done it. I've never been able to find a definitive guide on
which beans have toxins and which ones don't.

Once it is all together, I would almost be interested in simmering it
for much longer, say a few hours. I almost want the beans to
disintegrate a little and thicken the liquids. I think this is what
sf was referring to.

Also, note that I haven't added any spices to this directly. With the
aromatics, sausage and stock, I doubt it's really necessary.

Thanks again for the comments- past, present, and future!

-J

"Ema Nymton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On 7/20/2011 12:48 AM, phaeton wrote:
>> Speaking of beans...
>>
>> I've got the taste for a savory bean stew type of meal. Here's what I
>> plan on starting with:
>>
>> 1) Soak a pound of pinto beans in water overnight. Rinse, boil, rinse
>> etc as necessary.
>>
>> 2) Saute in olive oil the following, in batches if necessary: 1 white
>> onion (chopped), 1 green bell pepper (chopped) and 3 or 4 cloves of
>> garlic (chopped)
>>
>> 3) Throw onion, pepper and garlic into a stock pot. Add about 1.5
>> cups of merlot or burgundy wine.
>>
>> 4) Brown about a pound of bulk sausage (or sausage links with the skin
>> cut off and the contents spread out into a pan). I can't decide
>> between bratwurst, chorizo or andouille, or even just plain ground
>> pork. Drain fat, and put into stock pot.
>>
>> 5) Bring stockpot contents to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer with
>> the lid on for about 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to 'juice
>> out'.
>>
>> 6) Add beans to stock pot. Add enough chicken broth to get the liquid
>> level up to the top layer of beans.
>>
>> 7) Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce heat, put the lid on and
>> simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour.
>>
>> 8) Serve with a crusty wheat bread or brown rice.
>>
>>
>> A little much for this time of year, perhaps, but it sounds good to
>> me. If this were you, how would you do it? What would you add,
>> subtract, or change?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> -J
>
> Let us know how it turns out. BTW, I don't soak pinto beans over night.
> I rinse the beans then cook them. You could saute your onions, peppers,
> garlic and sausage, then add the beans and water to the pot. I would skip
> the wine and add bacon fat instead. Again, let us know how this turns
> out.
>
> Becca

De-lurking for a purpose. I don't know where I got this recipe but it's a
work in progress for the last year or so. I soak my beans over night and
rinse them 3 or 4 times before cooking. I also use a pressure cooker
initially and then into a crock pot for a few hours. I don't think that I
would use wine, maybe beer. As I said it's a work in progress but the couple
of times I've made it, it turned out pretty good. As Becca said let us know.

Name: Pinto Beans with Kielbasa
Serves: 8
Ingredients: 1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper,chopped
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1-1/2 pounds kielbasa, cut into I-inch pieces
1 cup great northern beans, cooked and drained
1 cup pinto beans, cooked and drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
I (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions: In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion and green pepper in oil until
tender. Add the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover
and simmer until heated through.

On Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:23:12 -0700 (PDT), phaeton
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Once it is all together, I would almost be interested in simmering it
> for much longer, say a few hours. I almost want the beans to
> disintegrate a little and thicken the liquids. I think this is what
> sf was referring to.

Yes!
>
> Also, note that I haven't added any spices to this directly. With the
> aromatics, sausage and stock, I doubt it's really necessary.

I've forgotten if you plan to add salt.... I think you'll need salt at
the very least. If you add more than s&p, don't put them in until the
last 30-60 minutes.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Jill wrote:

> Beans and wine aren't a good combination. At least, not cooking them
> together.

Blanket statements are always wrong.

Bob

Sorry for the lack of a proper newsreader in this thread. Anyways...

Based upon suggestions here, here's what I did:

1) soaked a pound of pintos overnight in water.
2) boiled said pintos for about 15 minutes in water.
3) drained said pintos, then added them to a stock pot which included
the following:

a) 2 white onions, diced and sauteed in veg oil (i was out of olive)
b) 2 green bell peppers, diced and sauteed in veg oil
c) 3 cloves of garlic. I had purchased 5, but the last 2 had
sprouted, so I planted them in in my garden instead.
d) about 1.5 pounds of mild italian sausage, cut into chunks and
browned on both sides as recommended here.
e) One 15oz can of reduced sodium chicken stock.

Then let it all simmer together for about an hour. The result?
Wonderful! I didn't add any salt- I tend to not add salt ot
anything. Others might do it differently.

It's very mild, kinda sweet (from the peppers and basil from the
sausage, i presume) and certainly very 'homey' tasting. It's one of
those things that would right your stomach if it were upset. I can
also see it as a starting point for other things. I.e., a spicy
sausage instead of a mild italian. Or bacon as was mentioned
earlier. Or even chorizo (like I originally stated. Maybe beef stock
instead of chicken to richen it up.

All in all, it's pretty good. Probably too bland for most folks, but -
I- like it.

Thanks everyone.

-J

On Jul 25, 2:44*am, phaeton <blahbleh...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Sorry for the lack of a proper newsreader in this thread. *Anyways...
>
> Based upon suggestions here, here's what I did:
>
> 1) soaked a pound of pintos overnight in water.
> 2) boiled said pintos for about 15 minutes in water.
> 3) drained said pintos, then added them to a stock pot which included
> the following:
>
> a) 2 white onions, diced and sauteed in veg oil (i was out of olive)
> b) 2 green bell peppers, diced and sauteed in veg oil
> c) 3 cloves of garlic. *I had purchased 5, but the last 2 had
> sprouted, so I planted them in in my garden instead.
> d) about 1.5 pounds of mild italian sausage, cut into chunks and
> browned on both sides as recommended here.
> e) One 15oz can of reduced sodium chicken stock.
>
> Then let it all simmer together for about an hour. *The result?
> Wonderful! *I didn't add any salt- I tend to not add salt ot
> anything. *Others might do it differently.
>
> It's very mild, kinda sweet (from the peppers and basil from the
> sausage, i presume) and certainly very 'homey' tasting. *It's one of
> those things that would right your stomach if it were upset. *I can
> also see it as a starting point for other things. *I.e., a spicy
> sausage instead of a mild italian. *Or bacon as was mentioned
> earlier. *Or even chorizo (like I originally stated. *Maybe beef stock
> instead of chicken to richen it up.
>
> All in all, it's pretty good. *Probably too bland for most folks, but -
> I- like it. *
>
> Thanks everyone.

Don't thank me; I thank you. I'll add it to my repertoire. I just
wanted to let you know that sprouted garlic retains its flavor. If you
dont't want to eat the sprouts, they are easily separated by cutting
the cloves lengthwise.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can
get.