Name: Smokey Bean & Pepper Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1 slice bacon; ¼ cup slice onion, diced; 1 clove garlic, minced; ¼ lb dried great northern beans; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 small hamhock about ½ to 1 pound; 1 sweet twister pepper; ½ tsp BBQ rub; salt and pepper to taste

I found these Canadian, red, sweet, twisted peppers and thought they would work really well in my ham and bean soup. I fooled around with it a bit and came up with this recipe where the smokiness of the bacon and hock are balanced with the sweetness of the peppers.

You can substitute a few of the ingredients if you can't find them or just want to speed the prep time up. If you can't find the twister peppers try a bell or Anaheim instead.

CategorySoup

Prep Time15 minsCook Time3 hrsTotal Time3 hrs 15 mins

1 slice bacon

¼ cup slice onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ lb dried great northern beans

4 cups chicken broth

1 small hamhock about ½ to 1 pound

1 sweet twister pepper

½ tsp BBQ rub

salt and pepper to taste

1

Over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, add the strip of bacon and fry until crispy, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Add the garlic, give it a quick stir, then add the chopped onion. Add a couple grinds of black pepper and a dash of salt. Lower the heat to medium-low and sweat the onions until they start to get translucent.

2

When the onions are ready, add the beans to the pot along with the broth, ham-hock, and BBQ rub. Bring to a light boil then lower the temp to low so it just bubbles very gently. Crumble or mince the drained bacon into the pot. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until the water has reduced by half and the beans are done to your liking, skimming the fat off the surface as you cook. Rotate the ham-hock about every 30 minutes to make sure the whole thing gets cooked.

3

Roast the pepper over an open flame or under a broiler until the skin starts to blacken and bubbles up. Turn as needed. Steam it in a plastic bag for about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off then slice the pepper into thin strips. Take about 4 strips and set aside. Cut the remainder into 1 inch pieces and set those aside.

4

After about three hours taste the beans to see if they are ready. If they are, remove the ham-hock to a cutting board and let cool until you can handle it with your hands. Pull out the pieces of meat from the hock and dice into small pieces. Add the ham pieces back in along with the 1 inch pieces of the pepper. If it has become too thick add more water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5

Serve in a bowl using the larger strips of pepper as a garnish. Serve with cornbread and hot sauce.

Ingredients