Now that we’re working Dave Ramsey’s system, I’m collecting beans-and-rice recipes. (Dave Ramsey fans will get that.)
I’ve been working with dried beans, because they’re cheap and plentiful. And with a little planning, they’re pretty easy to make. Lentils and split peas are the easiest, of course, as they require no soaking.
I complement the beans with a variety of ingredients, especially canned tomatoes and flash-frozen vegetables, both of which are cost-effective and of high quality. Frozen carrots, corn, green beans, and broccoli work especially well. Frozen diced potatoes, usually packaged as “hash browns,” can be used in soup recipes. I even use frozen diced onion and bell peppers, for convenience, even though fresh would probably yield better results.
Here’s a curried split-pea soup that I’ve made before, based on Alton Brown’s recipe. Except this past week, I actually measured all the ingredients and wrote down everything I did. (And then forgot to take a picture. Just imagine a yellow-gold mash with chunks of carrot and potato, and you’ll get the picture. The next time I make it, I’ll try to remember to take a photo. Oy.)
As usual, it was a big hit. Made a big pot, which disappeared within a day.
Curried Split Pea Soup
2 cup onion, diced
2 cup celery, sliced
kosher salt
olive oil
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound dried yellow split peas (or green)
1 pound carrots, sliced or diced
2 quarts chicken broth
2 Tablespoons curry powder
1 pound diced potato
In a large pot (4-6 quarts), sweat the onion and celery in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add garlic and sweat for an additional minute or two, until onions and celery are tender. (Be careful not to let the onion or garlic brown.)
Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until peas and potatoes begin losing their shape.
Serve with bread or rice.
Makes about a gallon of soup.
When I made this, I used fresh celery (because apparently they don’t flash-freeze celery), but frozen onion, carrots, and potatoes. And I used minced garlic from a jar. (But I can’t recommend that, unless you’re really desperate. I’m not sure how we even got a jar of minced garlic.)
I also added the potatoes after the peas had been simmering for about 15 minutes. That was a minor mistake, as the potatoes were still firm (but thoroughly cooked) when the peas and carrots were falling apart. So, probably the potatoes needed to go in at the same time as the peas. If I were to use fresh potatoes, I would probably try Yukon Golds, and might even try dicing them with the skins on (because that’s me, even though I might end up with shards of skins in the soup).
Definitely a recipe I’m going to try again at some point.
-TimK