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.

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.

RED BEAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the peppers, celery, onions and beans. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves before serving.

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.

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.