Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [93]
During the last 30 minutes of the beans’ cooking, prepare the vegetables: Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic in the oil until the garlic begins to sizzle, stir for 30 seconds, and add the onions and bell pepper. Stir and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the onions and peppers are very soft, then add the jalapeño, celery, and carrot. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the carrot has begun to soften, then remove from the heat.
When the beans are completely tender, stir in the sautéed vegetables and any remaining oil, plus the cumin, oregano, thyme, and vegetable stock. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the carrot and celery are tender.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool 10 minutes, add the vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Like most soups, this soup will be richer and more flavorful the next day.
Garnish each serving of soup with chopped cilantro and chopped avocado. Serve with lime wedges.
ACORN SQUASH, PEAR, AND ADZUKI SOUP WITH SAUTÉED SHIITAKES
SERVES 6
TIME: 1 HOUR
This is a precious jewel of a soup studded with pretty, red adzuki beans along with just a hint of fragrant five-spice. We love the salty sesame shiitake mushrooms that adorn the soup and draw all the flavors together.
➣Acorn squash is a pain in the tuchus to peel. The best way we’ve found is to cut the squash in half and seed it, then cut into chunks (¼ inch, in this case). Use a paring knife to slice off the skin.
➣To remove the seeds from pears, peel and slice in half, then use a measuring teaspoon to scoop the seeds right out.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch slices
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 acorn squashes, seeded, peeled, and cut into
¾-inch chunks
2 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin (not paper-thin) slices roughly 1 inch long
4 cups vegetable stock
1 (15-ounce) can adzuki beans, drained and rinsed about 1½ cups)
About 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Mushrooms:
4 ounces fresh shiitakes, sliced in half (about 1½ cups)
2 teaspoons peanut oil
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
PREHEAT A large stockpot over medium heat. Sauté the onions and peppers in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until the onions just begin to brown.
Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for 1 more minute. Stirring often, add the salt, five-spice, acorn squash, and pear, and cook for another minute before adding the vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer briskly for about 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Puree half the soup, using either an immersion blender or by transferring half the soup to a food processor or blender, processing, and pouring it back into the rest of the soup (don’t forget, if using a blender or food processor, to let the soup cool a bit so that the steam does not compress in the processor and hurt you).
Add the adzuki beans and lime. Cover and simmer over low heat just until the beans are heated through, 7 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms:
Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oils and sauté the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until they are soft. Mix in the soy sauce and stir constantly until it is absorbed (about 1 minute).
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the sautéed mushrooms.
TOMATO-RICE SOUP WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND NAVY BEANS
SERVES 10 TO 12
TIME: 45 MINUTES
Roasted garlic gives this pantry-staple