Making Black Bean Soup Today – But FIRST – Making My Own Vegetable Broth for Flavor and Nutrients –

This morning I thought of my grandmother’s homemade beef vegetable soup. My children and I were guests at her table many times. She often served us her delicious soup. She used her pressure cooker to make it and could produce the soup in about an hour. I haven’t decided whether I want to invest in a pressure cooker again. I haven’t had one for several years.

My grandmother’s soup may be made without a pressure cooker but not without soup bones. I phoned the local grocery store only to find they had quit carrying the beef marrow bones that make the soup taste so good. I switched my menu for the day to black bean soup. I wanted to use my own vegetable broth to give it flavor and nutrients. It’s simmering on the stove now and will be ready when I start to make the soup.

Making the broth I used our Brita filtered water (the water is very hard in Arizona), added onion, carrot, parsley, cabbage, sugar snap peas, ginger root, pepper corns, and a clove of garlic. Why did I choose those particular ingredients? I had them in my refrigerator. I really like the flavor that ginger root adds. I can’t wait to taste the broth. I am hoping that my choice of vegetables will produce a nutritious and tasty base for my soup.

If you make your own vegetable broth, you may choose the vegetables from your refrigerator, too. The basic ingredients would be onion, carrot, parsley, and pepper. Add others you think you might like. Experimenting is a good way to learn. Checking out online recipes helps to show how other experienced cooks make what you plan to cook. Find the basic ingredients and add others, enhancing the flavor with your own special touch.