Basque Red Bean Soup Recipes

RED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted. Add the stock and beans, stirring to mix well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture is smooth and creamy, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Just before serving, add the sherry, green onions, parsley, and hot sauce. Remove the bay leaves.
• Serve hot in soup bowls.

SPICY RED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, combine the oil and the onion. Saute for 5 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add the paprika, ketchup, water, soup mix, salt and pepper and stir well. Cut the linguica and chourico into 3 inch pieces and add to the soup.
• In a food processor or blender, puree the beans in small batches and add to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add the potatoes and simmer for another hour. Break the spaghetti into 3 to 4 inch pieces, add to the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until spaghetti is tender.

BASQUE VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In Dutch oven, slowly bring chicken and water to a boil; skim foam. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Remove chicken; set aside until cool enough to handle., Strain broth and skim fat. Return broth to Dutch oven. Add the leeks, carrots, turnip, onion, potato, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes., Meanwhile, remove chicken from bones; discard bones and skin. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces; add to the Dutch oven. Add the sausage, beans and cabbage. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato sauce; heat through.

BASQUE RED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Put small red beans and three times that volume water in stockpot. Add diced onions, finely diced leeks, salad oil, diced chorizon, and ham hocks. Boil lightly 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add tomato puree and beef bouillon cubes. Salt to taste. In a separate pan, sauté diced onion and diced garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add paprika. Add mixture to beans. Let simmer 30 minutes. For thicker beans, a mixture of flour and cold water, mixed slowly at first to avoid lumps, can be combined, then slowly added to the beans to desired consistency. Remember, the liquid will continue to thicken as it cooks. Serve with hot sourdough bread.

BASQUE POTATO AND GREEN BEAN SOUP WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Place the potatoes, one tablespoon of salt and the water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are nearly soft through, about 15 minutes. Add the green beans and cook, uncovered, until they start to turn tender and lose their bright green color, about 15 minutes.
• While the beans and potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown, about five to eight minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
• When the beans and potatoes are cooked, add the garlic and olive oil to the soup and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.

BASIC BASQUE BEANS

Steps:

• Wash and pick over beans to discard any stone or other debris. After preliminary preparation, add fresh cold water (hot water toughens them) to about 2 inches above beans.
• Add soup bones or ham hocks. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam that forms. After beans have simmered covered for about 45 minutes, and are beginning to soften, add the rest of the ingredients. (If onion or salt is added in the beginning, the beans may toughen).
• Continue cooking for about 45 minutes, or until beans are very tender. Adjust seasoning to taste.

RED BEANS OF TOLOSA STEW

Steps:

• Place beans in a large bowl or pot and fill with water at least 2 inches past the top of beans. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Place in a pot, adding enough water to cover beans. Boil until a foam rises to the top. Remove from heat, and pour off foamy top liquid.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot or casserole dish over medium-high heat. Quickly brown the surface of the ribs. Add salt pork or bacon, and onion, stirring quickly for 3 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté until garlic begins to turn a straw color. Pour in beans and add enough water to cover all. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are cooked through and centers are no longer tough.
• Add chorizo and continue to cook for 30 minutes. At this time, cook the morcilla separately in a pan with just enough water for them to simmer, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
• When the beans are done, season with salt and pepper, if needed. Just prior to serving, remove and cut into sections, pork ribs, salt pork/ bacon, and chorizo sausages, if whole. Also cut morcilla sausage into sections.
• Serve the beans, including a piece of pork rib, chorizo, and some morcilla in each serving.

SIMPLE RED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Mix together water, tomato paste, and chicken broth in a pot until blended.
• In another pan, sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil.
• Drain the liquid from the red beans into the broth mixture and save the beans for later or empty in the whole can.
• Let simmer, adding parsley and paprika.
• Add sautéed onions and garlic to soup.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.