Kat's Recipe Box

Kevin and I recently found a little restaurant in Kutztown PA, Kevin’s home town, called CC’s. We stopped in for lunch and apparently, I am a very picky eater and the menu seemed to be limited and not much to my liking as I am not a rib person. So needless to say, I was pretty mad at Kevin and to top it off, they served only local bottled soda like, cherry, root beer, orange cream well, you get the picture. As a Philly girl if it isn’t coke or Pepsi, I don’t want it. So in reading the menu and not finding much I wanted to eat he knew he was going to pay for it later. I have to order sometime and I see, ribs, chicken with sausage together on a Sammy….no way, not a big sausage fan. I spy a hamburger, ok I am in…Do you have American cheese? Are you kidding me…what is horseradish cheese??? Can I have fries with that, no fries…salt potatoes???HuH??? So, I order the burger on a slathered roll (what ?) with the horseradish cheese and baked beans…Kevin, the chicken and sausage Sammy with the salt potatoes and a black bean soup. Well long story short, and much to my surprise, it was one of the best burgers I have had, the beans awesome and the salt potatoes interesting and very good…Kevin, loved everything even the soup. The atmosphere was wonderful and the owner super nice. Kevin couldn’t stop talking about the soup so he gave us the recipe…well at least the basics and we went from there. If you are ever in the area…stop in. Haven’t had a bad meal…I hear the ribs are awesome. I am hoping to get the bean recipe next…fingers crossed!

1 lb bag of black beans
1 chorizo sausage
1 lb. of hot Italian sausage
2 boneless chicken breasts
Garlic
2 carrots
1 medium onion
2 stalks of celery
Chicken broth
1 cup of white rice
1 tbsp. cumin
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
1 bouillon cube

In a large pot, soak black beans in water or follow directions on the bag for the quick cook, once beans are tender, drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, sweat the chorizo and Italian sausage in a sauté pan with 3 tbsp. olive oil until cooked thru. Chop one onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and about 6 cloves of garlic and add to the sausage mixture and sauté until vegetables are tender
Once veggies are tender add to the black beans; reserve the liquid from the sauté veggies and sausage to cook the chicken in. Once chicken is cooked thru, shred and add to soup mixture along with the liquids. Add two cups of water and enough chicken broth to cover the vegetables and meat. Add the cumin, bay leaf, bouillon cube, rice and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for at least one hour.

Continue to add chicken broth as liquid evaporates until you feel there is enough to make it a soup consistency.
The amount of vegetables, meat and rice can be more or less depending on your personal taste. For extra heat we have in the past added 1 chopped habanero pepper. Should you want a thicker soup, decrease the amount of water and broth.