1,000 Jewish Recipes (175 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, or an 11-ounce plastic tub of garbanzo beans (see Note)
1
â
2
cup couscous, plain or whole-wheat
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1.
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion and
1
â
3
cup cilantro and sauté 3 minutes over medium heat. Add broth, water, carrot, celery, and cumin and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2.
Stir in tomato paste, then chickpeas, and return to a boil. Stir couscous into soup and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in remaining cilantro. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Serve hot.
Note:
If using a plastic tub of garbanzo beans, prepare them according to package directions.
I prepare a flavorful vegetable soup as the base of this bean soup. It's quicker than other bean soups because I use canned or already cooked beans. Hearty and colorful, it makes a satisfying vegetarian entree but you can also serve it in smaller amounts as a first course.
I cook the pearl barley together with the vegetables. In pearl barley, the husk, bran, and germ have been removed. To save a little time, you can use quick- cooking barley, which is ready in ten minutes. You can find it at health-food stores.
6 cups water
1 quart vegetable broth
2 large onions, diced
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 ribs celery, sliced, leafy tops reserved
1
â
2
cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
1 medium turnip, peeled and diced
2 large potatoes, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 large carrots, cut into thick slices
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 zucchini, halved and sliced
Two 15-ounce cans white beans, drained
1.
Bring water, broth, onions, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and celery tops to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add barley. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Add turnip, potatoes, and a pinch of salt and simmer 10 minutes.
2.
Add celery slices, carrots, and garlic to soup. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and beans. Simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables and barley are tender. Discard bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and celery tops. Season with salt and pepper.
To make this soup easy, I start with a package of bean soup mix, then add vegetables, herbs, and garlic as it cooks. To add zest to the soup, I like to finish it with slices of spicy meatless hot dogs or frankfurters. These soy-based sausages add a pleasant taste and many are low in fat or even fat-free.
If you prefer a meaty soup, you can stir in 1 or 2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey or use chicken or turkey frankfurters.
10 cups water
One 6-ounce package bean soup mix (
3
â
4
to 1 cup dry mix)
2 large onions, diced
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
6 to 8 ounces meatless sausages or frankfurters, cut into
1
â
2
-inch slices
3 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1
â
4
cup chopped fresh dill or Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Bring water to boil in a large pot and add soup mix. Plan soup's cooking time according to package directions; 45 minutes before it is done, add onions; 15 minutes after that, add carrots and celery, so they have 30 minutes to cook; 20 minutes later, add sausages, zucchini, and garlic so they'll have about 10 minutes to cook. Just before serving, stir in dill. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Along with the dill, this colorful bean soup features three other favorite Israeli soup flavoringsâcumin, garlic, and tomato pasteâwhich give the soup a rich taste and a warm reddish-brown hue. It's a good soup for winter and, of course, the pressure cooker shortens the cooking time. If you'd like to prepare it without a pressure cooker, see the note at the end of the recipe.
Served with multigrain, whole-wheat, or another hearty breadâeither fresh or as
Light Croutons
âthis soup makes a satisfying main course. We like to begin the meal with a quick salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and jicama, or an Israeli salad with smoked cod.
1 cup bean soup mix or mixed white and red beans
10 cups water
2 ribs celery, sliced, leafy tops reserved
2 or 3 thick dill stems, feathery leaves reserved for sprinkling
1 bay leaf
1 large turnip, peeled and diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
3
pound green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 yellow squash, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
1
â
2
teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)
1.
Soak beans in a large bowl generously covered with cold water overnight. Drain beans and rinse.
2.
Put beans in pressure cooker with 8 cups water, celery tops, dill stems, and bay leaf. Cook on low pressure 25 minutes or until beans are tender. Allow pressure to come down. Remove cover. Remove dill stems.
3.
Add turnip, potatoes, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, and remaining water. Bring to a boil. Cover but do not use pressure. Simmer soup over low heat 20 minutes. Add green beans, squash, and sliced celery, and cook 15 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and turmeric, if using. Cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning. Chop reserved dill tops. Serve soup sprinkled with dill.
Note:
To prepare the soup without a pressure cooker, cook the beans and flavorings as in the second step above for 1 to 1
1
â
2
hours or until just tender.
Like Italian
pasta e fagioli
, this bean soup is accented with pasta. Sausages, tomato paste, and paprika give it a rich color and flavor.
This thick, substantial soup is made in Hungary with sour cream or yogurt, but Jewish versions omit the sour cream because the soup contains meat. Sometimes the soup is thickened by pureeing half of the beans and vegetables, as in this recipe. Old-fashioned versions call for a roux of flour and fat as well but it's easier and lighter if you omit it.
If you wish to make it pareve or vegetarian, use vegetable stock as the cooking liquid and meatless sausages or frankfurters.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1
â
4
cup chopped parsnip or parsley root (optional)
One 15-ounce can white beans, drained (see Note)
1 quart beef or chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 beef or chicken frankfurters, sliced
1
â
4
cup square noodles or other small pasta shapes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Heat oil in a heavy saucepan, add onion, and sauté until beginning to brown. Add carrot and parsnip, if using, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring often and adding 1 or 2 tablespoons water if needed, about 10 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
2.
Spoon about half the vegetables into a blender. Add half the white beans. Puree mixture and return to saucepan. Stir in stock, remaining beans, paprika, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes. If soup is too thick, stir in a little boiling water. Add frankfurters and pasta and cook about 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Note:
You can use
1
â
2
cup dried white beans. Soak them overnight or simply rinse them. Drain them and cook in water to generously cover about 1
1
â
2
hours or until tender.
I learned how to make this richly flavored soup from my mother-in-law, Rachel Levy. Whenever she prepared lentils, she first spread some in a single layer on a plate and inspected them very carefully to be sure no stones were mixed with them. She then removed them to a strainer for rinsing and added the next batch of lentils to the plate. It seemed like a lot of work, but the savory soup was worth it. Serve the soup with fresh, warm pita bread.