This has become my favorite bean mix for soups. The Mayocoba and Flor de Mayo beans are smooth and creamy. They add such a wonderful flavor to the soup that it’s worth the effort to find them. The most difficult bean to find will be Flor de Mayo beans from Mexico. They are a light pink bean. If you can’t find those, use twice as many Mayocoba beans. Mayocoba may also be called Peruana or canary beans. They are a yellow Mexican bean. All the beans in the recipe are fairly small beans so each spoonful of soup is consistently flavorful.
This recipe is good with any of the suggested meats or none at all. It’s a great way to use the bone from your holiday ham but use whatever you have and enjoy a comforting bowl of soup!
TWELVE BEAN SOUP MIX (Pantry Cooking II)
1 pound Anasazi beans
1 pound pinto beans
1 pound black beans
1 pound black eye peas
1 pound Great Northern beans
1 pound baby lima beans
1 pound Mayocoba beans
1 pound green split peas
1 pound yellow split peas
1 pound small red beans
1 pound Flor de Mayo beans
1 pound cranberry, Roman, or borlotti beans
Mix together the dried beans. Fill clean pint canning jars and cover with clean lids and rings or dry heat process for longer storage. Makes 15 pints.
FOR SOUP:
Sort and rinse 1 pint (2 cups) of dry beans. Put in a 4-quart Dutch oven or stock pot and cover beans with 2 inches of water. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in hard water areas. Bring to a boil. Boil 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let sit 1 to 5 hours.
Drain beans and return to pot. Add 6 cups water and a ham bone, or 10 oz. chunk ham, or 8 oz. sliced or diced summer sausage, or 7 oz. sliced dry chorizo. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 2 hours or until beans are tender.
Remove the ham bone (if used) and return ham to the soup. Add 1/4 cup dried onion, 1/8 teaspoon dried minced garlic, 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 30 to 60 minutes. Serves 6.
TO GIFT a jar of soup mix, put the dried onion, dried garlic, chili powder, and salt in a small bag and attach it to a jar of soup mix with the following instructions:
Sort and rinse beans. Put in a 4-quart Dutch oven or stock pot and cover beans with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Boil 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let sit 1 to 5 hours.
Drain beans and return to pot. Add 6 cups water and a ham bone, or 10 oz. chunk ham, or 8 oz. sliced or diced summer sausage, or 7 oz. sliced dry chorizo. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 2 hours or until beans are tender.
Remove the ham bone (if used) and return ham to the soup. Add seasoning packet. Simmer for 30 to 60 minutes. Serves 6.
