Lots of Legumes

Navy beans soaking

I like to cook. I really like to cook soups and stews. Things that require simmering for hours. Dishes that tend to overheat the house when it's 93 degrees outside. Special meals that require cooler weather for optimum enjoyment.

This past weekend I started on a couple of family favorites. We had chili recently and still had plenty stored away in the freezer. So I started with beef & lentil soup. I made the stock from scratch using the beef rib bones leftover from the Christmas roast. While that was going, I soaked the navy beans for cassolet.

Mysteriously, two bags of black beans appeared on the kitchen counter. My Sweetie asked if I would make him black bean soup. I don't like black bean soup. I've never made black bean soup. I always thought that a ham bone was required to make black bean soup. Thank goodness for the Food Network. I found a recipe for the soup and it's completely vegetarian. For the black beans I decided to take my Bentley (slow-cooker) out for a spin. The beans simmered all night and I've got to say that the house smelled wonderful when we woke up. Still doesn't mean that I'm going to eat the stuff.

The beef & lentil soup is one of those recipes that I just kind of make up as I go along and it comes out a little different each time. The cassolet is a multi-day commitment. But now that I think about it. I could simmer it in the Bentley overnight as well. Anyway, it's an Emeril recipe that I adapted. The cassolet could also be made as a vegetarian dish.

Let me know if you would like me to post the recipes. I don't have time to do it now because I need to stir the cassolet... o-lay... o-lay... o-lay.

Cassolet in progress