Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (36 page)

1 pound dried black beans
6 cups cold water
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound white onion, chopped finely
½ pound green bell pepper, seeded and
diced finely
½ pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and
diced finely, or 1 cup diced canned
tomatoes with juice
½ cup red wine or vegetable broth
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional but
yummy)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or
lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

A generous dollop of Cashew Crema
(page 51)
1 tablespoon finely minced sweet white
onion
1 tablespoon finely minced cilantro
1 cup hot long-grain white rice per serving

 

1. Sort through the beans and remove any random particles or broken beans and place in a large bowl. Add cold, fresh water to cover by 4 inches and soak for 8 hours or overnight. After the beans have doubled in size, drain, rinse briefly, and place in a 3-quart soup pot. Add the 6 cups of fresh, cold water, bay leaves, and kosher salt. Partially cover and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Skim off and discard any foam. Lower the heat to low, stir, and cover. Stirring occasionally, cook for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the beans are very tender. A perfectly cooked bean should mash easily when pressed with your tongue toward the roof of your mouth. You should have about 5 cups of liquid when all is said and done, but feel free to add a little more water or even vegetable broth if necessary (or if you like a thinner soup).

2. While beans are cooking, prepare the
sofrito
. In a large skillet, combine the olive oil and garlic and bring to a sizzle over medium heat, cooking the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion, green bell pepper, and tomato. Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is very soft and liquid has mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar, oregano, and cumin, and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. When the beans are completely tender, stir in the cooked
sofrito
, making sure to scrape every bit into the pot. Add the liquid smoke, stir, and partially cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the soup has slightly reduced, then remove the bay leaves and discard. If desired, ladle 2 cups of soup into a blender jar, puree until smooth, and stir back into the soup to create a thicker, smoother consistency. Likewise, you can use your immersion blender directly in the soup and puree as desired. Season the soup with more red wine vinegar if desired and salt and pepper to taste. To serve: Ladle the soup into individual bowls, swirl with a dollop of Cashew Crema, and sprinkle with minced onion and cilantro. Serve with the hot rice.

•
Serves 6 or more generously

•
Time: 2½ to 3 hours, most of that being inactive while the soup simmers. Does not include bean overnight soak time.

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

1 pound dried cranberry beans,
Roman beans, navy beans, or any small
white bean
6 cups cold water, plus 2 cups water or
vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
A pinch of baking soda (less than
⅛ teaspoon)
2 tablespoons peanut, olive, or
vegetable oil
1 large (½ pound) yellow onion,
chopped finely
1 hot green chile, seeded and minced
(optional)
3 teaspoons sweet ground paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 plum tomatoes (about ½ pound),
seeded and diced
1 pound calabaza pumpkin, peeled,
seeded, and diced into ½-inch cubes
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
(thawed and drained, if frozen)
1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, rinsed and
lightly packed

 

1. Sort through the beans and remove any random particles or broken beans and place in a large bowl. Add cold, fresh water to cover by 4 inches and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, and place in a 3-quart soup pot. Add the 6 cups of fresh, cold water, bay leaves, and the pinch of baking soda. Partially cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Skim and discard any foam. Reduce the heat to low, stir, and cover the pot. Stirring occasionally, cook for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the beans are very tender. A perfectly cooked bean should mash easily when pressed with your tongue toward the roof of your mouth. You should have about 5 cups of liquid when all is said and done, but feel free to add a little more water or even vegetable broth if necessary (or if you like a thinner soup).

2. While the beans are cooking, in a nonstick large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the minced onions and chile pepper, and stir. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent. Sprinkle in the paprika, oregano, cumin, and dried basil, stir, cook for 30 seconds, and turn off heat. When beans are completely tender, add the onion mixture, making sure to scrape every bit into the pot. Then stir in the additional 2 cups of water, diced tomatoes, and diced pumpkin.

3. Puree the corn kernels to a chunky consistency with a blender or immersion blender and stir into the stew. Bring the stew to a boil again over high heat, stir, and lower heat to a low simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft and easily mashes if pressed against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. If desired, create a creamier consistency by mashing more beans and pumpkin this way, or scoop out a few cups of soup, puree until smooth, and stir into soup.

4. Allow the soup to cool for 15 minutes before ladling into individual serving bowls. To use fresh basil for garnish, layer a few leaves on top of one another, roll into a tight cylinder, and slice thinly to create thin shreds. Sprinkle a few on top of the soup or even stir directly into the soup. Like all bean soups, this soup becomes more thickened and flavorful the next day.

•
Serves at least 6

•
Time: About 1 hour, most of that being inactive while the soup simmers

 

2 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons Annatto-Infused Oil (page 31)
1 hot chile or habanero pepper (optional)
1 large leek, well washed, trimmed, and
sliced into thin rings
4 shallots, sliced into thin rings
1 large red onion, sliced in half and cut into
¼-inch semicircles
6 green onions, white part separated
from green, both parts chopped into
¼-inch slices
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ pound yuca, peeled and sliced into
1-inch rounds, then into quarters
1 large carrot, sliced into very thin rounds,
about ⅛ inch
1 pound calabaza pumpkin, peeled,
seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
½ pound tropical tuber, such as
ñame
or waxy or green plantains,
peeled and sliced into
½-inch rounds
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced, or
½
cup
crushed tomatoes
2 ears of corn on the cob, cut into
2-inch pieces (a total of 8 to
10 pieces)
6 cups well-seasoned vegetable broth or
bouillon
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 cups reconstituted TVP, sautéed
seitan, or frozen fava beans, lima beans,
or chickpeas (optional)
3 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro