This recipe is courtesy of Kit Wohl's Cookbook Studio and her book, New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups (Pelican Publishing). Kit appears regularly in the kitchen on the Eyewitness Morning News.
Gourmet magazine selected this recipe to test when my cookbook New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups (Pelican Publishing) was named Cookbook of the Month. The dish also can make a comeback later in the week as an ingredient in chili, an omelet, a canapé spread or a red bean soup like this hearty one. In lieu of red beans and rice prepared from scratch, we often use the Blue Runner brand of canned red beans.
Billy, my husband, embraces the notion that cooking is to splash a bit of wine, beer or brandy into a pot already simmering on the stove. His red bean soup is an exception. If his beans are served with rice, he prefers them soupy, which is no doubt why he came up with this recipe.
The addition of cheddar cheese to the simmering stock adds body as a flavor enhancer. The cheese itself doesn’t deliver a taste of its own but it intensifies the flavors of the other ingredients. Chef Warren Leruth taught me to add a capful of Liquid Smoke. Occasionally, Billy will grate cheese and finely chopped onion as a garnish, similar to what’s done with black bean soup.
Serves 6 to 8 (This recipe easily scales up or down)
2 16-ounce cans Blue Runner red beans, or 4 cups of prepared red beans
2 quarts chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 whole bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 pound smoked or kielbasa sausage (optional)
kosher or sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
grated cheese, for garnish, optional
sour cream, for garnish
chopped parsley or green onion, for garnish
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme and parsley, and sauté until the onion is softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the mixture into the beans and add the bay leaf.
2. Add the stock and cheddar cheese. After simmering the soup for about 15 minutes on low, remove the bay leaf and set aside.
3. Cut the sausage into 1/4-inch slices. Fry it with a little water in a skillet until browned. Remove the sausage and set aside.
In batches, purée the soup in a blender and then mash it through a sieve into a clean saucepan.
4. Return the soup to medium-high heat and add salt and pepper, stirring and tasting as you go until the seasonings are right.
5. Add the sausage slices to the soup and reduce the heat to a slow simmer until ready to serve.
6. Ladle the soup into wide, shallow serving bowls. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped parsley or green onion. Serve immediately.
