(How) Can I Eat This: Ancient Wedding Favor Soup Edition
March 14, 2020 11:33 AM Subscribe
Some years ago, Mr. eirias and I went to a wedding where the wedding favor was a ball jar containing a mix of dried beans, a sachet of spices and dried veg, and a recipe. We lost the recipe. Can I still eat this? If so, how should I turn it into food?
I don't actually know how many years ago this was. I just opened the jar for the first time and the seal was plenty tight. The beans are kidney, pinto, garbanzo, and one, maybe two, kinds of white bean.
This seems like a fine time in history to go pantry-spelunking. Help me plate (or discard) my beans, Metafilter!
I don't actually know how many years ago this was. I just opened the jar for the first time and the seal was plenty tight. The beans are kidney, pinto, garbanzo, and one, maybe two, kinds of white bean.
This seems like a fine time in history to go pantry-spelunking. Help me plate (or discard) my beans, Metafilter!
Should be fine to eat if everything was dried.
I'd simmer the beans with the spices and some olive oil until beans are tender, add the vegetables and simmer for a bit longer. Salt and pepper to taste.
The amount of water (or broth if you have it) is a judgment call. Luckily you can always add more
posted by dis_integration at 11:43 AM on March 14, 2020
I'd simmer the beans with the spices and some olive oil until beans are tender, add the vegetables and simmer for a bit longer. Salt and pepper to taste.
The amount of water (or broth if you have it) is a judgment call. Luckily you can always add more
posted by dis_integration at 11:43 AM on March 14, 2020
Definitely soak the beans first. Then I would sauté an onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, then add the beans and stock (or water) and simmer it until done. A ham hock is great if you aren’t vegetarian or, if you are, a rind of Parmesan. Or even a tablespoon of miso, just something to give it a little depth.
posted by something something at 11:45 AM on March 14, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by something something at 11:45 AM on March 14, 2020 [6 favorites]
Read up on kidney beans and soaking and cooking times as they are a slightly special group of wonderous nutrition.
posted by warriorqueen at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
The garbanzos are going to be the last to finish cooking, so taste those to determine the doneness of your soup.
posted by clockwork at 1:12 PM on March 14, 2020
posted by clockwork at 1:12 PM on March 14, 2020
What a great idea for a wedding memento! I almost want to get married to give friends a bean soup jar as a reminder. (I'm 67 and already married. The soup is cute but not worth divorce and dating again.)
posted by tmdonahue at 1:25 PM on March 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by tmdonahue at 1:25 PM on March 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
Do you own a pressure cooker? Or you're def. gonna have to soak the beans for 8+
hours. Ye olde beans can be tougher to cook!
posted by speakeasy at 1:36 PM on March 14, 2020
hours. Ye olde beans can be tougher to cook!
posted by speakeasy at 1:36 PM on March 14, 2020
Start by soaking the beans for 3-4 hours or overnight, then simmer. Saute some chopped onion, celery if you have it, in plenty of oil, remove, saute some chicken or beef, add this to cooked beans with the oil and some stock or better-than-bouillon. Add garlic if desired. If you have other veg - kale, carrot, broccoli, cabbage, etc., add to simmering beans in order of time needed to cook. I think kale tastes better if it's sauteed 1st, then cooked for a while. I'm lazy and don't rinse cooked beans. Beans are high-protein, you can skip the meat, but I like it, esp. broth.
posted by theora55 at 1:48 PM on March 14, 2020
posted by theora55 at 1:48 PM on March 14, 2020
Not only are they safe to eat, but you could probably still germinate the beans without difficulty.
Your beans are all roughly the same size and hardness so you don't have to worry that soaking them overnight would turn half of them into slime as you would with a barley and bean mixture. Put 'em in a bowl with about four or five times as much water as the beans, and pop them into the fridge overnight.
In the morning pour off all the water - no, you won't lose any nutrients if you do this - and then put the beans on to simmer with some fresh water. If you have some old steak bones you toss it in when you start it simmering. Low heat on the back of the stove for about two three hours, then poke to see if the beans are softening. If they are almost ready to eat you can throw the spice and veggie pack in, along with any stray freezer burned vegetable ends you found while rummaging in the freezer. If you have any fresh veggies they can go in too.
If you start with a bit less water than you think looks right and add more as it boils down you'll end up with broth of the right concentration. It doesn't hurt to add cold water and bring it back to a boil, but it will slow it down, so you might want to add the ocassional cup of water from a boiling kettle, if you have one.
To make sure it is done fish a couple of the largest possible beans out and see if they will mash easily. If they do it will be ready to eat.
Other things you can throw in would include a couple of slices of bacon, or a can of vegetables, or some leftover beef or pork or chicken - this is a good way to use up that freezer burned chicken thigh you found. You can also throw in some canned or left over chili and turn it into chili soup.
Without some additions, honestly it's probably going to be a somewhat boring, very low calorie soup so don't just add more beans. If you have an onion, fry it up until it starts to caramelize and throw that in, to increase the umami flavour and add a bit more calories. Taste it before adding spices with any kick as it might be a red hot spice mix with enough burn still that you don't need more heat, or your spice packet might actually be mainly salt.
If you get up early and start it simmering while getting breakfast it should be ready in time for lunch.
posted by Jane the Brown at 1:59 PM on March 14, 2020
Your beans are all roughly the same size and hardness so you don't have to worry that soaking them overnight would turn half of them into slime as you would with a barley and bean mixture. Put 'em in a bowl with about four or five times as much water as the beans, and pop them into the fridge overnight.
In the morning pour off all the water - no, you won't lose any nutrients if you do this - and then put the beans on to simmer with some fresh water. If you have some old steak bones you toss it in when you start it simmering. Low heat on the back of the stove for about two three hours, then poke to see if the beans are softening. If they are almost ready to eat you can throw the spice and veggie pack in, along with any stray freezer burned vegetable ends you found while rummaging in the freezer. If you have any fresh veggies they can go in too.
If you start with a bit less water than you think looks right and add more as it boils down you'll end up with broth of the right concentration. It doesn't hurt to add cold water and bring it back to a boil, but it will slow it down, so you might want to add the ocassional cup of water from a boiling kettle, if you have one.
To make sure it is done fish a couple of the largest possible beans out and see if they will mash easily. If they do it will be ready to eat.
Other things you can throw in would include a couple of slices of bacon, or a can of vegetables, or some leftover beef or pork or chicken - this is a good way to use up that freezer burned chicken thigh you found. You can also throw in some canned or left over chili and turn it into chili soup.
Without some additions, honestly it's probably going to be a somewhat boring, very low calorie soup so don't just add more beans. If you have an onion, fry it up until it starts to caramelize and throw that in, to increase the umami flavour and add a bit more calories. Taste it before adding spices with any kick as it might be a red hot spice mix with enough burn still that you don't need more heat, or your spice packet might actually be mainly salt.
If you get up early and start it simmering while getting breakfast it should be ready in time for lunch.
posted by Jane the Brown at 1:59 PM on March 14, 2020
If you have a pressure cooker, after soaking and draining the beans, refilling the pot with them plus the spices plus whatever additions you want, adding water to a couple inches above the beans, and cooking at high pressure for 11 minutes or so should do the trick.
posted by metasarah at 2:03 PM on March 14, 2020
posted by metasarah at 2:03 PM on March 14, 2020
Reach out to the couple. Wouldn’t shock me if you’re not the first one to have lost the recipe. Plus, anyone who gave a wedding flavor like this is going to have that recipe on hand as it’s likely meaningful.
That said, if you get the recipe, I’d just buy everything new. Old beans take a longer time to cook and just don’t absorb water and flavor well enough.
posted by vivzan at 9:30 AM on March 15, 2020
That said, if you get the recipe, I’d just buy everything new. Old beans take a longer time to cook and just don’t absorb water and flavor well enough.
posted by vivzan at 9:30 AM on March 15, 2020
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Aside from that, if you can identify the spices in the spices package, you may want to swap out for fresher ingredients for taste, but it should be fine.
Find a nice meat to cook with it, i prefer smoked ham hocks, but any meat will do to impart some extra flavor. If not, just make sure you've got a good base broth for the beans. Add some onions and other veggies if you like. Enjoy!
posted by AlexiaSky at 11:39 AM on March 14, 2020