Black Bean Mexican Soup
Recently one of my Facebook chums mused that he was offically a suburbanite now that he had a new crockpot. I commented that my crock pot was over 20 years old and has served me well in the City.
In these hard times when comfort food is a simple pleasure and “Slow Food” is in vogue the crock pot is naturally an excellent choice. For the guy that needs his stodge a crock pot is a handy device indeed. However one does not just throw ingredients into the pot willy nilly and voila! find himself with the perfect beef stew.
What I have learned is that a proper meal such as beef stew benefits from the extra time one takes with browning the meat and sauteing the onions and aromatics. Called the sofrito in spanish and mirepoix in french the ingredients vary by culture and region. A holy trinity by taste, but that is a story for another entry.
This browning and sauteing is done on the stove and for me in a cast iron skillet. These seasoned bits and pieces are added to the crock pot including any rouxes made in said skillet. Finally water, stock or wine is added to the skillet to deglaze it and make sure every bit of flavor completes your simmered meal.
Every meal doesn’t require such devotion however. A simple and plain pot of beans is just that but even beans need a little knowledge and that is to pour boiling water into the crock pot of washed beans. No soaking required.
I have come home to the aroma of a long simmered meal when I took that extra time to put on the crock and coming home half crocked to a crock makes for a much more pleasant next morning.
Stodge for the Hungry Guy 