Black Bean, Sausage & Sweet Potato Soup

2 hours total time active time 30 minutes makes 2 qts Serves 8 Cost cheap its soup

You will need to plan ahead a little and soak beans, your best soup making pot, your best bean cooking pot.

• 1 cup dried black beans soaked in water
• 1/2 lb of hot Italian sausage
• 1 onion small dice
• 1 nice carrot small dice
• 2 celery ribs peeled and small dice
• 3 inch piece of leek, washed and small dice
• 1/4 head of cabbage small dice
• 1 big or two small sweet potatoes peeled small dice
• 1T OJ concentrate
• 1 T fresh dill dry dill is pretty bland I would use parsley before dry
• creme fraiche or sour cream or even unsweetened whipped cream as a garnish

Cook the beans in 5 cups of water or stock until tender. This takes a while so get on it. This will give you time to cut all your vegetables. Bring the beans and liquid to a boil on the Boil Plate, cover and into the Roasting Oven check after an hour to be sure there is enough liquid

Put sweet potatoes covered with salted water and bring to a boil on the Boil Plate, drain most of the water off, put on the lid and into the Baking Oven until tender,about ten minutes. Drain and lay on a sheet pan to cool, no need to rinse

Heat your best heavy bottomed soup making pot with moderate heat. I put mine in the Baking Oven while I do other tasks.  Add sausage and a little vegetable oil stirring often and breaking up into small pieces. You can do this on the Boil Plate off to the side a little or in the Baking Oven for 5 minutes

Do not forget to season along the way

Add onion and carrot, cook until soft, about 3 minutes. I do this in the Baking Oven. While the onion cooks I cut the carrots then add them, while the onions and carrots cook I cut the next veggie and so on. Always start with the sweetest veggies first and the most watery one last. My order for these is onions, carrots, leeks, celery then cabbage

Add leeks cook until soft, about 3 minutes

Add cabbage and cook another 8- 10 minutes

When the beans are cooked use an immersion blender and puree (They are still in the bean pot)

Add the beans to the vegetable /sausage mixture

Add the OJ concentrate, cooked sweet potatoes and dill. Bring back to a simmer.

Taste, season, taste again