Soup for supper....

It has been damp and cold in the cabin. Jack wanted soup to help with the chill. My mother had always talked about cranberry beans so when I found a package of beans at Williams-Sonoma, I decided to give them a try.

I googled some recipes for cranberry bean soup and sort of combined the ones I found - taking what I thought was the best from each one.

We soaked the beans overnight.

I used 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 2 small onions - all chopped and diced the way we like them.

A hunk of chopped Pancetta was tried out with a little olive oil.

I used a big pinch of Kosher salt and a few dashes of black pepper. Fresh garlic has been disappointing recently so I have been using minced garlic from the herb and spice rack.

When the vegetables looked ready, I added 6 cups of water and a small can of chopped tomatoes. I used a half a teaspoon each of Better Than Bouillon chicken and beef. Herbs from the garden simmered slowly. Two bay leaves completed the herbs and a glug of red wine for good measure. We have also started using the rind from Parmesan cheese. It is a very subtle flavor that I like with tomatoes (remove before serving).

We cooked the mixture for a little over an hour. Almost done. It was very good on this cold damp day and there are leftovers for tonight!

Hope your weather is getting better! See you on Pink Saturday!