Pic(k) of the Week: (Non) Beef Soup

I'm taking rudimentary steps toward food styling, so today:
(Non) Beef Stew, adapted from a package of Hurst's Beans 'HamBeens' 15 Bean Soup package. Animal-free, of course.

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IN THE PACKAGE

• Actually 18 bean varieties:
  Great Northern beans, pinto beans, large lima beans, baby lima beans, blackeyed peas, garbanzo beans, green split peas, red kidney beans, white kidney beans, cranberry beans, Cannellini beans, Habichuela Rosadas, small red beans, yellow split peas, lentils, navy beans, black beans, and yellow-eye beans.


• And one seasoning packet:
  hydrolyzed soy protein, maltodextrin, salt, artificial flavorings (including artificial smoke flavor), silicon dioxide (added less than 2% as an anti-caking agent).

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RECIPE

I followed the recipe on the package but added in suggestions from Lord Byron's Vegetarian Beefless Stew. I spruced things up by using vegetable broth rather than water and by adding potatoes, frozen peas, fresh rosemary, and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Smoked paprika, Marmite, and the included seasoning packet add umami (less technically, a 'meaty' flavor); sautéd diced portabellos, a 'meaty' texture. Really, it's like Stone Soup: more about how you finish than how you begin. The yield is about 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 20 oz package Hurst Beans "HamBeens 15 Bean Soup" package
• 8 cups low-sodium (or homemade) vegetable stock (or 8 cups water)
• 1 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 2 small Yukon potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tsp Marmite
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 TBSP fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 TBSP dried oregano
• 1 TBSP dried basil
• 1 TBSP smoked Spanish paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

PROCEDURE

1. 1) Rinse the beans to remove any dirt or debris.


2. 2) Place rinsed beans in a large pot, cover with 8 cups of water, and soak beans overnight for at least 8 hours.


3. 3) After soaking, drain off the water and rinse the beans again. [This removes some of the raffinose, the carbohydrate responsible for beany, uh, flatulence.]


4. 4) Place beans in a large pot with 8 cups of vegetable stock (or water).


5. 5) Bring beans to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.


6. 6) Add tomatoes, chili powder, Spanish paprika, Marmite, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Simmer, covered, for another 30 minutes.


7. 7) Five minutes before cooking is complete, add frozen peas and contents of Hurst's seasoning packet. [See above.]


8. 8) Simmer five more minutes, covered. Remove from heat.


9. 9) While the soup is simmering, boil the cubed potatoes for 15-20 minutes. Drain. [I reserve the water and refrigerate for up to a week for use as a soup base.]


10. 10) In a skillet, sauté the chopped onions for 3 minutes until soft. Add the chopped mushrooms. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms release their moisture and become brown, about 10 minutes. Add the diced garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.


11. 11) Add the mushroom mixture and the cooked potato to the soup. Gently stir.


12. 12) Scoop out two cups of the soup —vegetables and broth. Purée in a blender until smooth. Return the purée to the pot and stir into the soup. S/P to taste.

Enjoy with a hunk of rustic bread and an Oktoberfest lager. Whether it's a soup or a stew is up to you. Prost!

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• NOTES
  • Marmite is the brand name of a British food spread, available in the U.S., produced from partially dried yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing.
  • Worcestershire sauce, although fermented from barley malt, also contains anchovies. There are non-fish, vegan alternatives.
  • The official (and original) Oktoberfest celebration occurs annually in Munich, Germany, beginning on the third Saturday of September and concluding 16 to 18 days later in early October. This year it begins on 21 September and concludes on 6 October.
  • Virginia, USA-based beer blogger Alistair Reece is 'blind' tasting 18 Oktoberfest lagers (German and American). He is publishing the results at his blog, Fuggled.
  
  
• On occasional Thursdays, I post vegetarian recipes and/or news of the environment and climate as VeggieDag Thursday. Think of today as a combination Pic(k) of the Week and VeggieDag (Saturday).
• Pic(k) of the Week: one in a weekly series of images posted on Saturdays, and occasionally, but not always (as is the case today), with a good fermentable as the subject.
• Photo 37 of 52, for year 2019. See it on Flickr: here.
• Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II.
  • Lens: Lumix G Vario 45-200/F4.0-5.6
  • Settings: 67 mm | 5 sec | ISO 200 | f/11
  • Peripheral: 10 mm extension tube.
• Commercial reproduction requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.


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