Pinto bean soup

One of the things I love about fall and winter is making soups. I make big pots of it, and then let it sit outside over night to cool. I usually don’t have room for a huge pot of soup in the fridge, so the deck, at 30º works well. 

I actually started making this on Friday afternoon. I pulled a meaty bone out of the freezer, from the smokey pork roast my neighbor contributed to our Thanksgiving feast. I made a stock out of that, and then let it cool outside Friday night

Saturday, as soon as my newsletter was done, I strained the stock and started on the soup. That night, I had some neighbors and friends over for dinner. The soup was a big hit. Here’s how I put it together.

1 meaty pork roast bone, smokey if possible

Lots of water

1 lb. of pinto beans

1/2 cup of onion flakes

2 bay leaves

3 stalks of celery

1 large onion

1 thin red hot pepper

3 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. cumin

15 oz. can of RoTel tomatoes

Adobo seasoning

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

Sometimes I make this without making stock first, and just add the bone to the soup, but this time, I made stock. On the day before, take the large smokey bone from a pork roast, and set it in a huge stock pot. Add plenty of water to cover, about a teaspoon of adobo seasoning, a quarter cup of onion flakes and the bay leaves. Bring that to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and let it go for four hours. Set the stock in the fridge or out on the deck to cool over night.

Also the night before, sort the pinto beans and discard anything that isn’t a bean. Place them in a dutch oven, and add enough salted water, to cover them by at least two inches. Put the lid on, and let them soak until the next day. 

On soup day, place a colander over a big soup pot, and strain the stock into the pot. Start the stock boiling on the stove. Pick all the smokey pork off the bone and add that to the soup pot. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the stock. Once the soup is boiling, add the chopped onion, and celery. Dice the hot pepper and add that as well. Add the oregano, one teaspoon of thyme, and the cumin. When this comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.

This will need about four hours simmering. After about 2 hours, you’ll want to stir often. Taste it, and adjust the seasoning. I eventually added two more teaspoons of thyme. Also, at the two hour mark, add the can of RoTel tomatoes. 

After about four hours, the soup should be nice and thick. Taste it again for seasoning. I added a little more adobo and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, which adds a feeling of depth to the flavor. When the seasoning is adjusted, you are ready to serve.

Serving

Saturday night we had roast chickens, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, mixed vegetables, a huge salad, and homemade bread with my soup. We all overate and had a great time.