After making that spectacular ham chili...
https://thisoldchef.com/blogs/blog-recipes/posts/ham-chili-with-heirloom-beans
I still had some of the glorious heirloom beans given to me by Deb Stenard remaining... and it turned cold again...
So soup seemed a reasonable direction to head in!
I sautéed a chopped onion, added a bit of garlic, and some ground cumin. Then, in went the remaining beans (about a cup and a half) with their liquid. This stewed for a long time, until the beans started to break down.
In went a splash of sherry. Then I "immersion blender-ed" it all until smooth, and added the last of the whole cooked beans... checked for salt... added a splash of hot sauce... Simply delicious.
A few days later, we'd both worked brutal days and I was relieved to get home, open the fridge, and see not only this rich, flavorful soup, but also some already cooked brown rice from dinner the night before. No Brainer! I served the soup over the rice with a dollop of sour cream and a few leaves of cilantro. Yum!
(NB. Any time soup seems too thick to you, add a splash of water, or stock, or even milk.)
For the Grand Finale, on a night when there wasn't quite enough soup left to serve as dinner on its own, I sliced some baguette in half... layered slices of roast chicken, sliced mozzarella, pesto, salt and pepper...
Brushed the bread with EVOO... Placed it in a hot grill pan... Weighted it with another heavy pan...
OK, a panini press would work...
Flipped it and grilled some more...
This soup-and-sandwich beats basic grilled cheese top to bottom!!!
