Soup on Saturdays

With the advent of the not cool weather, I'm considering a new tradition in my kitchen:  soup on Saturdays.  I've had more than a handful of friends over the past year suggest a real day of rest on Sunday.  For me, this means spending Saturday working around the house, in the kitchen, and in the schoolroom so that my Sundays can be a day for focusing on God and family.  To that end, starting yesterday, I've decided that I will avoid cooking dinner on Sundays by creating a huge batch of soup on Saturdays.

Is that a mint leaf?

My first soup was black bean soup, and the making of it yesterday proved quite adventurous.  I used an online recipe loosely, adjusting to taste as I went along.  I had taken out the homemade chicken stock, and pre-cooked beans from the freezer early in the morning.  (Side note: I highly recommend using dried beans and cooking them in large batches.  You can freeze the beans in two cup portions and always have your "can of beans" ready, without the can!  Plus, it's super cheap to do it this way, even when you do buy organic beans.)  The onions were sautéing beautifully, I added the beans, and the first two cups of stock.  I went to add the next batch of stock, and about a half-cup into pouring the stock into the pot, something (perhaps my guardian angel?) stayed my hand.  For no apparent reason, I decided to smell the "stock" and it's a good thing I did--it turned out NOT to be stock after all, but the mint/sugar concentrate I make from my garden mint!  I use the concentrate to make a delicious summer beverage called "Orange Mint Tea."  WHOOOPS!  I quickly put the rest of it on the counter and tasted the soup.  It had a sweetness that wasn't horrible, but I did need to do some doctoring.  I added my mom's homemade salsa she had brought up, which was her first attempt at canning and was delicious.  I added some Lizano Salsa, a green, spicy condiment used in Costa Rica that we had hiding in the cupboard.  I added more cumin, more salt, and let it simmer.  After it cooled, I pureed it slightly with my hand held immersion blender-the best kitchen gadget ever!

Who knew mint wasn't a horrible ingredient in black bean soup?

I have to say, the end result was really tasty.  The sweetness of the mint concentrate was similar to a splash of lime juice that some people stir into their black bean soup upon serving.  As we said grace last night, I was truly thankful that I hadn't ruined all the ingredients and that we had a great dinner.  And I'm even happier that I don't have to cook tonight while the game is on!