Ingredients
- about 1/2 cup pinto beans
- about 1/2 cup each: brown lentils
- green split peas
- tiny red Indian lentils
- small yellow Indian lentils
- barley
- large onion
- large potato
- stalk of celery
- clove of elephant garlic
- about 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- about 1/2 teaspoon each dried herbs: sage
- marjoram
- thyme
- soy sauce and/or salt to taste
Made this over the weekend when it finally got cool here, and it was a big hit with my entire family (who are only veg''ns when I''m cooking). I didn''t measure anything so the measurements are my guesses, two days later. The main idea is to use a small amount of a big bean (the pintos in this case) and a large amount of whatever small legumes I have on hand.
Soak the pinto beans either quick-soak (boil 2 minutes, turn off heat, let soak 1 hour) or overnight in at least 4 cups of water. Drain, rinse Pick through and rinse all the other legumes and barley. Put all into a large pot with at least 6 cups of water. Bring water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for an hour.
Peel and trim the vegetables and chop them finely either by hand or in a food processor (don''t puree them!). Add to soup with vinegar and herbs but do not add the soy sauce or salt at this time. Bring the soup back to a simmer and cook another hour or until everything is to your preferred degree of softness.
I like to puree some of the soup in a food processor when it''s all done and stir it back in, for a nicer texture. At the end, add soy sauce and/or salt to taste -- the soy sauce adds a nice flavor as well as saltiness. Add water to get the texture you prefer if it is thick.
General instructions throughout cooking: Keep an eye on the pot -- the legumes release a lot of scum that may boil over. I find that after I remove the initial burst of scum and wipe the inside of the pot with a wet paper towel, it''s okay after that. Also check to see if you need to add more water or to regulate the simmer. Stir it up from the bottom occasionally so it won''t stick. Don''t let it get too hot (keep a low simmer) to avoid both sticking and running out of water or even scorching on the bottom. (I imagine a crockpot would be very nice to avoid all this picky looking and stirring.) Really, it''s not a big deal -- but look at it occasionally.
Note on the Indian lentils: I don''t remember what these are called. I get them at my hfs, but I''ve seen them in the supermarket health- food section as well. I think the reds are "mansur dal" and the yellows are "chana dal", but am not sure -- I get them from bulk bins and then keep them in quart jars, so nothing is marked. I imagine any lentil-type legumes would work great.
Yield: 8 servings.