“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers how many peppers did Peter Piper pick?” English language nursery rhyme
Although the weather this summer has been glorious with bright blue skies and warm sunny days, the lack of rain has created a moderate to severe drought in many parts of Maine. Forest fire danger is at an all-time high, farmers have been unable to harvest a second cut of hay, and gardens have suffered without a consistent amount of water.
For many farmers and gardeners, irrigation has become the solution for a reliable fruit set and crop development. Here at Rabbit Hill, there is only a finite amount of well water, about 125 gallons a day. So, we collect and store rainwater, about 1000 gallons, to use as the primary source of moisture for both the vegetables and flowers. Without meaningful rainfall since June, the choice between watering food or flowers was painful, but necessary.
The one crop that thrived significantly this season was peppers: bright lime – green bell peppers now becoming a vibrant golden yellow, sweet-tasting red Italian frying peppers, mini-snacking Lunchbox peppers, spicy red and green shishitos, and multitudes of green-turning red Jalapeños. What to do with all the peck of peppers that Peter Piper picked?
The recipe for Mexican Bean Stew evolved from a package of dry Pinto Beans on my pantry shelf and the abundance of Shishimai peppers. Grown from seeds available at Johnny’s Selected Seeds, this wrinkled, thin-walled pepper is a new take on the traditional Japanese shishito pepper that has no heat. The Shishimai peppers turn from green to red, have a mild to medium heat, with spicy flavor and exceptional culinary quality.
Mexican Bean Stew is puree of flavors, which is easily varied with the ingredients on hand and the tastes of the family. Garlic and onions sauteed in bacon fat render a smokey flavor. The spiciness of the stew is the chef’s choice of peppers, while a bell pepper is mild and sweet, banana, poblano, and shishimai peppers add more heat. For those that like it really hot, try varieties like jalapeño, serrano, or habanero.
This soup makes a large batch, which stores in the refrigerator for several days and freezes well. I like to serve it both as a stew, topped with dollops of sour cream, and as a dip with plenty of corn chips.
The term peck is an obsolete unit of English dry measurement equivalent to one quarter of a bushel. The word bushel was originally used as the name for a container, and later became a unit of measurement, primarily for crops like wheat and apples. In modern usage, commerce and food processing, the volume of the crop is less important that the weight of the crop. Our pepper harvest to date has been about 8 quarts, or the equivalent one peck.
Mexican Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 4 tbsp bacon fat or oil or fat of your choice
- 5 cups cooked pinto beans
- 3 cups fresh or canned tomatoes
- 4 -5 spicy peppers
- 2 cups chicken or veggie stock
- 3 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- Maine sea salt and fresh pepper
- Sour cream, guacamole, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced peppers for serving
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. Roughly chop the garlic and onion.
- In a heavy soup pot, heat the fat and add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until soft and golden.
- Add the cooked beans and stock and stir well.
- Bring to a simmer and add the tomatoes, peppers and chopped herbs.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer until the veggies are done, stirring to prevent from sticking on the bottom of the pan.
- Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings with Maine sea salt and fresh pepper.
- To serve, ladle into soup plates and top with a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced spicy peppers. Serve with corn chips or corn bread.
