Clean Out the Refrigerator Soup

As might be expected from the name, this soup is never the same meal twice.  Based on ingredients that are sitting around in the fridge getting ignored, the soup develops a flavor distinct to the leftovers from the previous week or so.  This version has a tex-mex, taco-y sort of flair largely because I was in a Mexican mood when I was buying vegetables but no one made mexican when they were cooking.

Clean Out the Refrigerator Soup

In the remains of last night's hamburger frying in the big cast iron skillet, I added the fat and cartilage scraps from some big steaks a few days ago. When it was hot, I added the last 1/2 cup or so of the Jamesons bottle and about 3/4 liter of bottled water that I found on the counter.  I scraped up the frond, let the mess come to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer while I made the rest of the soup.

Into another covered pot, I put the last 3/4 cup dried black beans from a bag in the pantry and covered it by two inches with water.  I brought this to a boil, covered, for five minutes, then turned off the heat, do not uncover, and let rest for 45-60 minutes.

In the bottom of a big soup pot, I poured a thin shimmer of olive oil and added several whole mini sweet peppers, searing all sides until the skin is well-browed, preferably blistery and a bit black. I removed to another dish to cool.  Then I added about 2 pints of whole grape tomatoes, letting them blister and soften,  without stirring, while I sliced or chopped carrots, celery with leaves, an Anaheim chili, and ear of raw sweet corn, three leftover cooked hamburgers, several shallots and three large cloves of garlic.  When the tomatoes began to split open and the juices mingle with the olive oil into a thickening slurry, I added the shallots and garlic and several grinds of pink salt, stirring briefly.  Cook until the shallots are translucent and the slurry begins to brown at the edges (do not let burn).

Then I added the carrots, celery with leaves, the Anaheim chili, and the hamburger to the tomato sauce. Stirred, salted again, and left it to sweat while waiting for the beans and the beef stock.  I sliced the remaining half serving of steak for garnish, chopped a handful of fresh oregano, and prepped the last of the cilantro and oregano for garnish.  When the sweet peppers were cool enough to handle, I sliced the softened flesh, discarding the seeds, stems and less-cooked parts.  I didn't add them until the end because long-cooked peppers disagree with me.  Same with the roasted cauliflower.

When the meat stock is flavorful (and reduced to about half), I strained it into the soup pot, reserving the scraps for the dogs.  After letting the beans sit in their water for nearly an hour, I drained and rinsed them, and added them also to the soup pot.  I also added three bay dried bay leaves, a dusting of cinnamon and cayenne, a pinch of chili powder, some ground black pepper, and a bit more salt.  Stir and let simmer until the beans absorb enough liquid to be soft, about 30 minutes.

Add in more liquid as necessary, a Corona would have been good. Stir in the sweet peppers, oregano, and cauliflower.  While those flavors mingle, score an avocado and slice a lime.

Also in the fridge was some spicy cole slaw I made a few days ago with shredded cabbage, grated carrot, celery, and slivered shallots, Anaheim pepper, and Fresno chili, dressed with lime juice, cilantro, and sour cream.  It wasn't great as a slaw but it adds a nice dimension of crunch and spicy chili bite to the soup, when added at plating.  Garnish with a few steak slices, diced avocado and a squeeze of lime.