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CAJUN BEAN SOUP
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
> Water - for soaking beans
> Pinch of baking soda + 1 teaspoon of salt
> 1 ½ pounds of 7 bean mix (or use 15 bean mix if you can find it; discard the seasoning packet)
> 1 large onion - chopped
> 1 large green bell pepper - chopped
> 2 stalks of celery - chopped
> 6 cloves garlic - finely chopped
> 8 cups chicken broth
> 2 bay leaves
> 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (this gives you a mild-to-medium spicy heat: add more spice if you want more heat)
> 1 can (15-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes - undrained
> 2 tablespoons tomato paste
> ¾ - 1 pound Andouille sausage - sliced
> 1 ham bone with ham on it or a ham-hock or 8 ounces of diced leftover ham
> 4 slices of bacon - cooked crisp and crumbled
> ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
> Hot sauce to taste (use your favorite hot sauce)
> Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
PREPARATION
1. Approximately 1 hour before starting the slow cooker, bring a large saucepan with water to a boil. You want enough water in the pan so the beans will be covered by at least an inch of water. Rinse the beans and check for stones. Add the beans, a pinch of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water; turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain
2. While the beans are soaking, in a large, heavy-bottom skillet, sauté the bacon until crispy and set aside on a paper towel. Brown the sausage and set it aside with the bacon.
3. In the same pan, sauté the onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic until barely tender scraping up any caramelized brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
4. Combine the beans, onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, chicken broth, bay leaves, and ham bone in a slow cooker. Cook 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
5. When the beans have approximately 1 hour to go on high or 2 hours to go on low, remove the ham bone and set it aside to cool so you can remove any ham left on the bone. You want about a cup of ham, so add diced ham to make a cup if necessary. Discard the bone.
6. Add the Cajun seasoning, tomatoes, tomato paste, sliced sausage, ham, and bacon to the slow cooker. Mix well, cover, and complete the slow cooker cycle.
7. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Adjust the salt and black pepper to taste and serve garnished with chopped parsley and hot sauce on the side. A good crusty bread for dipping is mandatory!
Leftover soup can be kept covered in the fridge for about five days, or frozen for about three months.