Tag: soups

Cuban-ish Red Beans

Beans are a staple in any Cuban household. From black, to red, to garbanzos and split peas…Cubans have a recipe for them all and beans and rice are a typical accompaniment to any traditional Cuban meal. While I could never be accused of being traditional in any sense, I love beans in all their incarnations and red beans rank right at the top. This recipe is relatively easy to make and keeps well in the fridge for a week. Hopefully you’ll love them as much as I do!

Frijoles Colorados

My recipe is based on my mother’s with some minor changes to make it a bit healthier and to account for my preference for boniato over malanga.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small smoked ham hock
  • 1lb dry red kidney beans
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 -4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • bay leaf
  • generous splash of dry white wine (or your preferred cooking wine)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • calabaza (winter squash) @ 1 lb peeled and cut into large cubes
  • 2 boniato (white sweet potato), peeled and cut into medium cubes
  • 3-4 oz Palacios spanish chorizo, casing removed & cut into 8 pieces
  • 1/4 lb ham steak, cubed

Directions:

  1. Place beans, ham hock, and 10 cups of water in pressure cooker. Set for 20 minutes. Let it depressurize automatically or release pressure manually after 10 minutes. Discard ham hock.
  2. Add all ingredients and stir.
  3. Cook on medium-medium high (so you have a constant roiling boil) for 30-45 minutes. It’s ready when you can pierce the boniato with a fork easily.

The recipe yields about 8 cups. A one cup serving has approximately 200 calories, 10g of fat, and 440mg of sodium. (As always this depends on your brands and salt preferences.) It’s a hearty meal on it’s own but can certainly be served as part of a more elaborate traditional Cuban meal with rice, roasted pork, and baked plantains.

Calabaza
Chorizo
Boniato

Over the years I’ve developed a personal preferance for brands so when I specify, feel free to substitute with your own preferences or whatever may be available in your area. For example, boniato is readily available in areas where Caribbean ingredients and food are common, but not necessarily in other places in the US.

Split Pea Soup

This is a recipe I adapted from the NYT Cooking App, Pressure Cooker Split Pea w/ Horseradish Cream by Sarah DiGregorio.

I say adapted because I do not make the recipe the way she suggests in her preparation. I tried three different times and each time the Instant Pot gave me burn warnings and shut down. I also tweak the ingredients a bit.

ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, minced
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 5 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 6 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth (if you’d prefer to omit alcohol, just use equivalent amount of stock or water)
  • 1lb split peas (green or yellow)
  • 1 smoked ham hock (smallest you can find, usually @ 1lb but less is better)

Preparation:

  1. Place unsalted chicken stock, peas, and ham hock in pressure cooker. Seal & set for 15 minutes on high pressure. Once done, manually release pressure. Discard ham hock. (You can remove the fat & shred the remaining ham, but in my experience, it’s mostly fat and very little palatable meat. You can also save it to make a stock.)
  2. In the meantime, sauté the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and thyme in a small skillet.
  3. When ready add sautéed ingredients to pressure cooker along with bay leaves & wine (or equivalent stock or water). Season with salt & pepper to taste. I usually add @ 1/2 tsp and several generous grinds of fresh pepper.
  4. Seal and pressure cook on low setting for 10 minutes. Once done, manually release pressure.
  5. Remove bay leaves, stir, and serve w/ horseradish cream if desired.

Horseradish Cream (optional)

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp jarred, drained horseradish
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Mix ingredients and add a dollop to your bowl!

Note: The “soup” will be very thick and more akin to a potage. If you prefer it thinner, then just add more stock, either at step 4 or after, or when you reheat leftovers. I like it thick and usually serve it with a side of toasty French baguette.