White bean and kale soup, in Instant Pot

[pepperhead212]

I made a delicious soup today in the IP - a white bean and kale soup, that I started by cooking a ham bone (something I had marked in the "use first" group, in all that freezer food. I pressure cooked it for 90 minutes with water to cover, just a little salt, some asafoetida (I do this all the time, instead of whole onions, which are discarded), fresh bay leaves, a large sprig of fresh sage, and some black cardamom (adds a unique, smoky flavor) and whole cloves, in a tea ball. I strained the scraps out, and discarded - no flavor left, anyway! - and skimmed the oil off.

Then I pre-cooked the pound of beans using the Milk Street method of pre-soaking in baking soda - to 6 c water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda, add 1 lb dried beans, set to manual/pressure cook for 5 minutes, and when done, release pressure manually. Remove beans and strain, then rinse with cold water: let drain.

After this, on regular sauté mode, I sautéed 1 medium onion, chopped, in about 2 tb olive oil, for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. While cooking, I minced the 6 cloves of garlic with about 2 tb of fresh sage leaves, and added this, and a generous tb of tomato paste, and cooked it for the last 90 seconds, stirring constantly. Then I added the just under 6 c broth, the beans, 10 oz diced beef kielbasa, 2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika, a generous tb of morita flakes (more smoky flavor, plus I can't have enough heat!), then adjusted for salt, and let it come to a boil, then turned off. Then I covered it, set at manual/pressure cook for 17 minutes. When done, I let the pressure release naturally, then mixed in 12 oz (weighed before steaming and freezing) frozen, chopped kale and 1/3 c red lentils (for thickening), and I re-set the manual/pressure cook to 5 minutes, and after cooking, and releasing the pressure naturally, it was done!
White bean and kale soup in IP, after first pressure cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Chopped frozen kale, before adding to the soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished soup, after a few more minutes pressure cooking, after adding kale. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished white bean and kale soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Pellice]

What are morita flakes, a kind of pepper? I haven't encountered them before. This looks wonderful and healthy. I like the idea of a smoky flavor with this dish. Were you trying for a Spanish vibe to this? It's perfect for a wintertime hearty soup! What kind of bread would you serve with this?

 

[pepperhead212]

Pellice, Moritas are a smoked pepper, like a chipotle. Sometimes the two names are used interchangeably, but the moritas are slightly smaller, and almost black in color. Usually when you get "chipotle powder" it is actually moritas. The original chipotles are tan, larger, and are often called chiles mecos, to distinguish from the moritas. Moritas are usually hotter, but not always!

I used those, the black cardamom, and the smoked paprika because I was trying to get more of that smoky flavor, of which the ham bone and sausage have some, but this added a lot more!

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Pepper, what kind of White Bean did you use?

 

[pepperhead212]

KGirl I used great northern beans, as I get them really cheap in 2 lb bags at Aldi. I used to get them even cheaper at Walmart, in 5 lb bags, and split them with a friend (I don't use as many of these as those lentils I buy in 8 lb bags!). But I have not been to a Walmart for over a year!

I sometimes use cannellini beans, in salads, or mild pasta dishes, where the flavor will be more noticeable.

Pellice Sorry, I forgot the bread question! I was thinking of making some cornbread for this, but it was too late. Any other time I would have gone to DG to get some milk (to make buttermilk), but the snow halted this idea. I have some yogurt I could use instead of buttermilk for the cornbread (my favorite), but it's not quite as good, IMO.