Spicy Black and Red Bean Soup by Bartolo Colón - from "Dine With the Tribe" (2001)

RECIPE

cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups sliced carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. sugar
1 16-oz. package frozen shoepeg white corn
1 15-oz can red kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 14 1/2-oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with peppers and spices, undrained
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 4 1/2-oz can green chilies

Spray inside of a large Dutch oven with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until heated. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Saute five minutes.  

Stir in broth, sugar, corn, red and black beans, both cans of tomatoes, and chilies (adjust chili amount to desired spiciness).

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer two hours. To make preparation even easier, use frozen, chopped onions and small baby carrots (do not slice).

Bartolo Colón has become one of my favourite major leaguers in recent years.  

He was a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2003 and again in 2009, and he's the last former Montreal Expo still playing in the majors. He's also one of the few remaining major leaguers still older than me.

Colón broke into the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1998. He won the Cy Young Award with the LA Angels in 2005. He made his first trip to the World Series as a member of the New York Mets in 2015.

For someone who gets stockier and paunchier with each new season, his expanding size betrays a still lively athleticism. This year, he hit the first home run of his career.  

Twitter was hijacked with Bartolo-inspired merriment for an entire night. It was glorious.

This recipe for spicy bean soup comes from the Cleveland Indians' 2001 cookbook. It is pure comfort food. 

I made a few tweaks to the recipe, using oil instead of cooking spray, and omitting the second can of tomatoes. Instead, I poured in one third of a jar of Mrs. Renfro's hot habanero salsa -- I like it hot!

This is a simple "chop some veggies and open some cans" recipe which will not tax your skills in the least. You do get rewarded for your undemanding efforts with a huge pot of soup that can feed an entire family or freeze well to enjoy later. As with everything (everything, except sushi), it's always better the day after.

You go, Big Sexy!