The inspiration for this bean soup recipe formed from the simple desire to use up a bunch of things I had in the fridge. You’ll notice a lot of my plates are inspired by this goal. I had leftover salted cod from a previous meal I made that week and leftover cooked beans used in a different meal made before that. Thus, I needed a meal that both of these items could integrate into nicely. Time was also not on my side so of course, the answer was going to be a fish and bean soup. I made it extra hearty with Swiss chard, onions, carrots and mushrooms in a tomato broth. The end result had complimenting taste and texture making it a home run to say the least. Hope you enjoy!
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients:
- Salted cod, 200 grams, deboned, cubed and rinsed
- Black eyed peas, 2 cups cooked
- Swiss chard, 1 bunch, de-stemmed and rough chop
- Onion, 1 medium, diced
- Carrot, 1 medium, diced
- Cremini mushroom, 125 grams, quartered
- Garlic, 3-4 cloves, purée
- Cooked and strained tomato, 2 cups
- Olive oil, 2 tbsp.
- Salt and pepper to taste
What you’ll need:
- Knife and cutting board
- Water bath (for cod)
- Small pot (for cooking beans)
- Colander
- Soup pot
- Wooden or stainless steel spoons and ladle
What to do:
Prep Ahead Items
Salted cod requires planning ahead because it needs to soak in cold water for up to 48hrs. The cod is cured in salt that must be taken away to prevent an overly salty, inedible plate. If desired, the salted cod can be swapped out for fresh cod or just about any other protein.
The black-eyed peas for this recipe need to be pre-cooked. The other components in the soup will not hold up in texture for a 45-minute cook time. I typically cook a big batch at a time when I know I’ll be making a recipe that needs them, use what I need, then portion and freeze the rest for future use. Cook them by placing them in a soup pot with salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and bay leaf. Cover them with water and bring them to a boil. Lower heat to a mild boil and cook until fork tender. It’s better if they are slightly under cooked since they will continue to cook in the soup or whatever recipe you choose to add them to (with the exception of raw salads).
Once these 2 items are prepped, it’s time to make the bean soup.
Making the Soup
Start by prepping the entire mise en place. In addition to the prepped salted cod and black-eyed peas, clean and cut the Swiss chard, onion, carrot, mushroom and garlic as directed in the ingredients list. (Swiss chard is typically something that is prepped and stored in my freezer. It eliminates some prep work come time to cook.)
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a soup pot over med-high heat. Add your onion, carrot and mushroom. Sweat the vegetables for a couple minutes until veg starts to soften. Add the cubed cod and garlic purée and continue to cook for a couple more minutes to build the aromatics. Add the strained tomato and when all ingredients have boiled a couple more minutes add 6 cups of warm water. Once the some returns to a boil, reduce to a medium-low heat and in the black-eyed peas and Swiss chard. Cook for 20 minutes and adjust seasoning with salt to taste before serving.