I’ve taken to the bed, the couch, an easy chair, with those bothersome sneezes that come in winter, stuffing up one’s head and bringing on shivers. This will pass. In-the-meantime, lots of tea, blankets, and soup are the ticket.
I got up long enough yesterday to make a pot of soup. Taco soup. It sounded good to my withered taste buds. That kind of sounding good usually means it will be good in my tummy as well. All the ingredients were on hand, waiting for this sort of day, so out came a big pot, lots of cans, some meat, and soon it was simmering seductively on the back burner.
We each had a nice, big bowl with nacho chips and dollops of sour cream. It was just the ticket on such a cold day.
Since I haven’t shared a recipe with you in ever-so-long, I thought I might now. It came to me in a Penzey’s Spice catalogue, which is always a joy to find in the mail. Penzey’s is a spice and herb company that does catalogue sales of their spices. They also have a shops in several areas as well. I love the catalogue, though I’ve only ordered out of it once, and that was to send some spices as a gift. The catalogue is special for the recipes interspersed, along with stories of the cooks who send them in. Think “Woman’s Day” magazine, or “Good Housekeeping” of yore.
Here is the recipe, from the Penzey’s Catalogue. You can leave out the meat if you are vegetarian, or just don’t need/want the extra protein. Last night, I only used one can of beans and a smaller can of corn. It was perfect. I don’t think you can mess this up – or even the kitchen, for that matter. If you don’t have the Penzey’s taco spice, you can use any taco seasoning mix (but, once you’ve tried the Penzey’s, there is no turning back).
Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (omit for vegetarian soup)
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14/2 oz can corn, drained (or from 4 or 5 ears, or 1 1/2 cup frozen)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
1-3 tsp taco seasoning
1 16 oz container of any salsa of your choice.
Brown meat, drain fat, add rest of ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
The soup is thick. You can add water if you wish it thinner.
Serve with your favorite garnishes. Sour cream, grated cheese, nacho chips etc.
(This recipe is from a fall catalogue, from a few year’s ago, honoring teachers and their special recipes. This was Stephanie’s Taco Soup. I believe she is a math teacher. )
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