spinach, red bean and dumpling•soup

We've had a lot of snowy and blowy weather here lately.  I could do without the wind, and the drifts that build up in the wind that I get my car stuck in.  But, I'm happy to finally be getting some good snow-- it's great for playing in, and also for looking out upon while you cook soup...

Owen loves dumplings and beans, so my spinach, red bean and dumpling soup is a hit with him.  
It's a hit with me because he can't help but ingest some spinach with his beans and dumplings.
I also like it because it's delicious. 
I've made this a Crockpot recipe because this is my favorite way to make beans these days.  If you don't want to spend all day making this, you could use a can of beans instead (BPA-free ones, of course), liquid and all.  Add a little extra water, heat up on the stove, then continue from there with the recipe, but on the stovetop.

the veggies:

-for the beans:

• 1 cup dry small red beans, rinsed and drained
• 9 cups water*

-for the soup:

• 1 TBS dried rosemary, rubbed between your palms to break up a bit
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp veggie base concentrate**
• 1 tsp salt (optional)
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (one or two sprigs)
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• grated parmesan, for garnish

-for the dumplings:

• 1 egg
• 1 eggshell (both sides) full of cold water
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 to 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

the love:

-for the beans:

1. Combine beans and water in your slow cooker, turn on high, cover and let cook for 4 to 5 hours, or until beans are tender but not mushy.  Keep an eye on the liquid level to make sure beans are covered with water at all times, and turn down the heat or add more water if needed.***
2. If the beans are finished before you're ready to start on the soup, you can turn off the slow cooker and let the beans sit, covered, at room temperature for up to a couple of hours.  Just be sure to get your slow-cooker heating up well before you plan on cooking the dumplings.  I try to give it a good 45 minutes.

-for the soup:

1. Make sure your beans and liquid are good and hot (keep your crockpot on high for the rest of the soup-making process), and that you've got a couple inches of liquid for adding veggies and cooking dumplings.
2. Add the rosemary and veggie base to the beans.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onions.  Saute until they become translucent, then add the garlic and saute a couple minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, add the salt, lemon juice, spinach, and basil to the soup.
5. Add the cooked onion and garlic to the soup, along with some salt and pepper, to taste.

-for the dumplings:

1. In a small mixing bowl or measuring pitcher, beat the egg with the water and salt.
2. Add the baking powder and a few tablespoons of flour at a time, mixing between additions, until the mixture is something between a wet dough and a thick batter.  
3. Drop the dumpling mixture in the hot soup, about a teaspoon at a time, helping it off the spoon with with your finger, as shown. 
4. Cover the Crockpot and let the dumplings cook for about 10 minutes, or until they're no longer doughy in the middle.
5. Serve topped with shredded parmesan.

notes:

* The amount of water you'll need may vary.  You might need less at lower altitudes, or more if your slow-cooker runs hot.  Don't worry about this too much-- you can always add or remove liquid later on.

**I use "Better Than Bouillon" brand.  You could also use whatever amount of bouillon cubes you'd use for about 3 cups of water, or remove some bean liquid and add a couple cups of full-strength broth.

***Like the amount of water, your bean cooking time will also vary depending on your altitude and how hot your slow-cooker runs.

give (split) peas a chance•autumn soup

This time of year I find myself wanting to move to a warmer climate.  Or, alternately, bake things and make soup.  Since I can't drag my husband out of the mountains, this is a recipe I've pulled out every autumn for a few years now.  And, it's one that most of my family really likes.
This is probably not what you think of as split pea soup.  It's not green, but a gorgeous deep golden color (not entirely accurately represented by my cheesy point-and-shoot photo below).  It's not super-salty, and it contains no pig.  I was even considering leaving the split peas out of the title so as not to turn anyone off.  But I'm going to take a risk here.  Take a stand for the split peas.
I like to serve it with grilled cheese made with aged white cheddar on whole wheat bread, but it would also make a nice starter to a fancier meal.  Or, you can sip it through a straw like Owen likes to do.  Do whatever you like-- we try to be a non-judgmental family.  But whatever you do, try the soup.  You may become a little less judgmental of split peas.

The veggies (etc):

• 1 cup dried yellow split peas (the green variety also work), plus soaking water
• Two large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 1 TBS canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 TBS minced fresh ginger root
• 7 cups water
• One large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
• One large apple, peeled, cored and cubed (about 1 cup)
• A three-or-four inch cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp chili powder
• One medium tomato, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 TBS lime juice (about half a lime if you're using fresh)
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• Plain yogurt and/or chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

The love:

1. A little while before you really plan on getting down to business and starting the soup, quick-soak the split peas: Rinse them well, then put them in a saucepan and cover with a couple inches of water.  Bring to a boil, simmer for two minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit for a half hour to a couple hours.  Drain them just before you add them to the soup.*
2. Heat the oil in your soup pot and saute the onions until they're golden.
3. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander and ginger and stir for about a minute.
4. Add the drained split peas, 7 cups water, sweet potatoes, apples, and cinnamon. 
5. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the peas are tender, 30 minutes to an hour.
6.  In a small bowl, combine chili powder, tomatoes, lime juice and soy sauce.  Add to the pot once the peas are done. 
7. Remove the cinnamon stick**, then puree the soup right in the pot with an immersion blender (you really should invest in one if you don't have one-- they are really quite fun and handy), or blend everything in batches in a food processor or blender.  Add water, if needed, to reach a good consistency.
8. Gently reheat if you need to, and serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a pinch of cilantro leaves if you'd like.

Tips:

*These instructions are specially adapted to cooking at 8,300 feet.  If you live at a more reasonable elevation, you may be able to skip the quick soak and add the rinsed but un-soaked peas right in at step number four.  You'll also notice a big window in the cooking time in step number five-- this time will depend on whether you pre-soaked and for how long, as well as, of course, your elevation.  Make this once or twice and you'll have a better feel for how much time to allow.  Worry not-- if the soup's done early it will not hurt it to sit for a while and be gently reheated.  This soup even freezes well.

**I once forgot this step, and started whirring away with the immersion blender, only to find it working kind of jerkily.  Then I discovered chunks of bark stuck in the blades.  Oops.  I managed to salvage the soup, though-- I picked out the big chunks and pureed the bejesus out of what was left.  It tasted just like it usually does-- perhaps with a little bonus fiber!

Where credit is due:

This recipe originated from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites.  I've made a few minor adjustments-- mostly for altitude, and also to remove any (blasphemous!) low-fat references.  But the end result is probably pretty true to the original recipe's intentions (and I still firmly believe the intention was to change people's minds about split peas...).

By the way, I have not picked up any Moosewood cookbook and found fewer than a half-dozen recipes I really wanted to try, and most of them that I've tried I've made repeatedly.  Good stuff.