North African Bean And Squash Soup Recipes

SUMMER SQUASH & WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Add squash and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in 1 can of beans, parsley, tarragon and salt. Puree soup using an immersion blender. Or cool soup slightly and puree in batches in a blender; return to pan. Stir in remaining can of beans and heat through. Top each serving with yogurt. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little broth if necessary.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight, or for at least 6 hours, in enough cold water to cover. Drain and transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, until almost tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and cook 10 more minutes.
• Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cubes to a large bowl and toss with the garlic, salt, pepper, oil, and sage. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a second large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip, garlic, and sage, and cook until the vegetables have softened but are not colored, about 10 minutes. Add the squash and cook for 10 more minutes. Season with the remaining tablespoon of salt, and the black and Aleppo peppers. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Spoon 1 cup of the cooked beans along with 1/4 cup of their cooking liquid into a blender and puree until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the puree into the pan with the vegetables. Add the whole beans with their cooking liquid, the bay leaves, and honey, and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender, about 10 more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.
• Serve the soup in warm bowls, topped with the croutons.

NORTH AFRICAN BEAN AND SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Drain the soaked chick peas and set aside. Tie half the cilantro sprigs into a bundle with the dried red chili, and chop the rest. Set aside the chopped cilantro.
• Heat the oil in a large bean pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic, paprika, and turmeric. Stir together for about a minute, until fragrant, and add the tomatoes, and their juice. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and the mixture is fragrant. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Add the cilantro bundle, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the squash, a generous amount of salt, and the harissa or cayenne, and continue to simmer for another hour. Taste and adjust salt. Add the vermicelli and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the cilantro bundle. Stir in the remaining cilantro and the mint, adjust salt and serve. Garnish with lemon wedges.

NORTH AFRICAN BEAN AND SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Drain the soaked chick peas and set aside. Tie half the cilantro sprigs into a bundle with the dried red chili, and chop the rest. Set aside the chopped cilantro. Heat the oil in a large bean pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic, paprika, and turmeric. Stir together for about a minute, until fragrant, and add the tomatoes, and their juice. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and the mixture is fragrant. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Add the cilantro bundle, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the squash, a generous amount of salt, and the harissa or cayenne, and continue to simmer for another hour. Taste and adjust salt. Add the vermicelli and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the cilantro bundle. Stir in the remaining cilantro and the mint, adjust salt and serve. Garnish with lemon wedges.

NORTH AFRICAN BEAN STEW WITH BARLEY AND WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and cook leeks until they begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Finely chop cilantro stems. Stir into pot, along with diced fennel and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in baharat, cinnamon and tomato paste, and cook until paste begins to caramelize, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in broth, 3 cups water, the barley and the salt. Bring to a gentle boil, stir in saffron, if using, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Stir in beans, squash, turnip and lentils; cook until barley is tender, about another 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Remove cinnamon stick.
• Ladle stew into bowls. Spoon a dollop of yogurt on top and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with cilantro leaves, fennel fronds and Aleppo pepper or paprika.

BEAN AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Place Great Northern beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add bay leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Mix beans, water, and bouillon into onion mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour.
• Stir squash, carrots, celery, salt, black pepper, white pepper, ginger, and allspice into broth mixture; simmer until squash and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves from broth mixture and discard. Scoop 2 to 3 cups of vegetable-bean mixture using a slotted spoon from broth; blend broth and remaining vegetable-bean mixture using a hand blender until smooth. Return the vegetable-bean mixture to broth mixture and stir in sausage. Simmer soup until sausage is cooked through, 5 to 10 more minutes.

HEARTY KALE, SQUASH AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the squash cubes on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and coat lightly with olive oil. Roast until tender and lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add leeks, salt lightly and let cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until softened but still bright green. Remove leeks and set aside to stir into soup later.
• Add a little more oil to the pot, then add the onions. Season with salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo, garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook for 2 minutes. Add cooked beans and 8 cups water, bean broth or vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.
• Gently stir in the cooked squash, kale and reserved leeks, and cook for 10 minutes more on low heat. Add a little more broth or water if the potage seems too thick. Check seasoning and adjust as needed.
• To serve, ladle into bowls. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

AFRICAN SQUASH AND CHICKPEA STEW

Steps:

• In 5-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat 3 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add onions to oil; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add all spices; stir until onions are well coated. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until glazed and deep golden brown. Stir in squash; coat well with seasoned mixture. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chickpeas. Heat soup to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until squash is tender.
• Meanwhile, in 8-inch skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat; add okra to oil. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender and edges are golden brown; stir into stew.
• Divide stew evenly among 4 bowls. For each serving, top stew with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and generous 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds.