Pot Liquor Soup

by | Aug 7, 2010 | Soup | 0 comments

We had about a half gallon of delicious “pot liquor” left over from a huge mess of greens we’d cooked. It was delicious by itself, but I decided to experiment with this “Pot Liquor Soup.” It’s more like a pot of beans flavored with greens, but call it what you will. It’s good.

Ingredients
1/2 gallon of left over “pot liquor” from mixed greens (Mine were mustard and Collards)
1 bunch of fresh greens (mustard again)
2 onions; diced
4 turnips; peeled and cubed
1 TSP minced garlic
2 pounds pork stew meat; cut into 1″ cubes
1/2 pound dried pinto beans; rinsed
1 pound small lima beans; rinsed
1 poblano; cleaned of seeds and membranes and chopped
4 carrots; diced
3 celery sticks; chopped
1 large chayote; peeled and cubed
1 TSP dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 – 1 tsp black pepper
4 bay leaf
a couple of splashes of Worchestershire
oil for cooking

Directions

Rinse greens; remove stems, and tear greens into 1″ pieces. Place in a covered pot along with a cup or two of the pot liquor. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Heat a couple of tablespoons cooking oil in a separate large pot (one that has a cover). Add onion and cook for a few minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic and celery. Cook another few minutes, stirring. Add carrots and poblano. Again, stir frequently.

When the vegetables are softened and cooked through, stir in the pork meat. Stir constantly to evenly coat meat in cooking juices. Cook until the pork is slightly browned. Add beans, seasonings, and remaining pot liquor. Pour other pot of greens and its liquor into the main cook pot. Add cubed turnips and chayote. Stir well to blend. If needed, add water or broth to cover beans.

Cover pot and gently simmer until beans are done (45-60 minutes; or longer) You might want to reduce cooking time by parboiling the beans prior to adding to the cook pot. Correct the seasoning, and serve up in bowls.

I like to add a bit of hot sauce and BBQ sauce to mine at the table.