Recipe(tried): Pasta and Kidney Bean Soup, Beans Slang Jang and Hush Puppies - 2 recipes for She

Here are a few more ideas for you, Sheila.

PASTA AND KIDNEY BEAN SOUP
Adapted from: Williams Sonoma

(We love this:-)!!!) I have changed the original recipe a little bit since it calls for pancetta or bacon but my kids are vegetarians so-o-o I don't use either when I make it. This is a real "stick to the ribs" soup for a cold winter night.

1 (1 lb.) pkg. dried white kidney or cannellini beans
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups peeled, seded and chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage (I've used 1 tsp. drid when I didn't have fresh)
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock (I use vegetable stock or water or vegetable boullion cubes)
3/4 cup dried pasta such as elbow macaroni or tiny shells
freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Rinse and pick over beans, discarding any damaged beans or stones. Place in bowl, add plenty of water to cover and soak for 3 hours or overnight.

Drain the beans and place in saucepan to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered until the skins begi to crack and beans are tender, 45-60 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pancetta, onion and garlic, and saute slowly until the onions are soft.

Add the tomatoes, sage, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper (to taste) and simmer 20 minutes.

Add the beans and stock or water and simmer for 30 minutes longer to blend the flavors. The beans will be very tender and the soup will becaome stewlike.

Add pasta to the soup and simmer until the pasta is tender, 12-15 minutes; timing will depend on the type of pasta. Be careful here since the soup is so thick that it can easily stick or burn.

Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Garnish with cheese and serve immediately. I usually serve this with salad and a chewy Italian type of bread.

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BEANS, SLANG JANG, AND HUSH PUPPIES

Here is one more recipe that my husband's mother often made. His dad was from Louisiana and his mom, a Texan, so I'm not totally sure about where this all came from or the origins. The meal is Beans, Slang Jang, and Hush Puppies. We always have a salad as well. For my husband & myself, I cook the beans with a smoked ham hock, but I just throw in a little olive oil, for my girls & sometime a little (1/4 to 1/2 tsp.) liquid smoke for the flavor the ham hock would otherwise give.

1 (1lb) bag of navy or great northern beans. Soak overnight or use the quick soak method of covering the beans with water, bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then let the beans soak for 1 hour before cooking.

Drain the beans and cover with fresh water by about 2 inches. Add smoked ham hock or not. Cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. If you use the ham hock, take it out after an hour or hour and a half. Let cool, then cut the meat off the bone, discarding fat etc. Add the chopped ham back into the beans. You will have to keep checking after about 2 hours to see when the beans are tender. As with most bean cooking, you may have to add more water as you go along. Add salt and pepper to taste near the end of cooking.

SLANG JANG

Put equal amounts of fresh chopped tomato, green (bell) pepper and onion in a dish. I ususally use 1 tomato. Cover with white cider vinegar and add quite a lot of black pepper or to taste. Let the flavors blend for a couple of hours and serve in dish, letting each person put the amount of Slang Jang they want on top of their beans.

HUSH PUPPIES
This recipe is from the cookbook, River Road Recipes, The Junior League of Baton Rouge (LA), Inc.

1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg (large)
3/4 cup milk
Dash of red (cayenne) pepper
2 green onions, and tops, chopped
1 tablespoon grated onion
Canola oil for frying

Sift dry ingredients into bowl.

Beat egg, add milk, and add this to cornmeal mixture. Add onion and red pepper.

Drop by spoonsful (I use a heaping tablespoon.) in hot deep fat (375 dgerees F) and fry until brown. Should you like a lot of crust, these may be patted flat. (Having used this recipe for years, patting these flat isn't an option. The dough is much too "liquidy" to be able to do that.)

This makes approximately 2 dozen. (I ususally get about 1 dozen so I must make these larger than the writer of this recipe had in mind.)

Cornbread, which you could make ahead and freeze, would be a good alternative if you don't want to deal with Hush Puppies...but Hush Puppies are so-o-o-o good!

"While there is a great deal of speculation as to the origin of hush puppies, there should be no speculation on the tastiness of these."