REPOST! Sofrito and Quick Bean Stew

September 15 is the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.  I will be doing my part here at home to cook more meals from my parent's home countries.  It is very difficult for me to do here in California since so many ingredients I grew up here are not readily available to me.  Also so many of the dishes I grew up eating had meat as the main dish.  I will be doing a whole vegetarian spin on all of the dishes.  Many I came to terms with not eating again.  Of course, everything with fish and all the meats available.

Yesterday instead of buying the sofrito at the Cuban store, I went and bought the necessary ingredients for recaito.  It took some figuring out what I could and couldn't use.  I couldn't use Italian frying or cubanelle pepper but instead used a poblano pepper.  Instead of using sweet chili peppers (ajitos) I went for red, yellow and green bell peppers. I could not find recao leaves so I used a bunch of cilantro. 

If anyone has the readily available to them, please send me your seeds.  I would really appreciate it.

Basic Recaito

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 Italian frying pepper or Cubanelle pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3 sweet chili peppers or bell peppers or mini bell peppers

3 recao leaves or 3 cilantro sprigs

1 sprig cilantro

1 tbsp olive oil

cut and remove seeds from all peppers.

combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  

Refrigerate or freeze in 1/4 cup batches.  Good for stews and beans.

Vegetarian Bean Stew

(habichuelas guisadas vegetariana)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup Recaito

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups water or vegetable stock (I like to use the stock to give it more of a nutritional value)

1/4 lb calabaza (West Indian pumpkin or whatever you can find) Peeled and diced.

1 cup alcaparrado (a mix of olives and capers but it does boost its flavor but if it's not your thing it's OK to omit)

2  cans of beans (black, pinto, kidney) drained and rinsed

1 tsp black pepper 

heat the oil in a pot.

add the recaito and tomato sauce and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

add the stock and calabaza.

bring to a boil and the alcaparrado, beans and black pepper.

bring to a boil again.

reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes

You can enjoy this with rice, quinoa, or alone with some crusty bread and vegetables.

First Day of School

I kid you not when I tell you that a stay at home mom on my street was having a party at 8am this morning!
Classes in the elementary, middle and high schools start at 8am so I can only guess someone was celebrating the first day of school and it wasn't a child.
Today I sent my teen off to her first year of high school.  She showed me her outfit she had chosen as her debut to the high school.  A lavender off the shoulder tunic with one of her favorite skinny jeans.  She looked so cute today with her wavy and slightly curly hair.
Pray she has an awesome first year of high school.
She auditioned back in Spring to be part of the high school's glee and she was called in.  Super excited she is!  I hope it's everything she was hoping (minus the drama from the show) it to be.  She will be doing a lot this school year.  She still volunteers a a co-leader for the local AWANA club, part of the library teen club where she will help decide on activities for the teens, auditions and filming as much as her schedule allows.  On top of that she will continue taking acting classes and dance class and go to as many high school games.
She is such a wonderful teenager.  Friendly and unlike many teens, she doesn't believe she is in a higher status than others.  She is not your typical teen.  Her preference is to be behind a book and her favorite app is Good Reads.

Over the weekend I made a huge pot of beans and rice to celebrate our last summer before everyone is off to school (husband started last week and the tween is homeschooled).
Sent the huz to the Cuban store to get some Caribbean ingredients that are not normally found in our local grocery stores.  Yeah.  We're special.

Habichuelas Guisadas

2 tbsps olive oil
1/4 cup sofrito
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 lb peeled and diced West Indian pumpkin
1 cup alcaparrado (you can add as little or as many as you want.  I don't like to bite into one but it does enhance the flavor)
2 16 oz cans beans (you can use just about any whole bean. I used red kidney beans)
1 tsp black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot.
When heated add the sofrito and tomato sauce and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the water and pumpkin.
Bring to a boil and add the alcaparrado, beans, and black pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

I actually doubled the ingredients to last us for a few more days since were are trying to get back to a school day schedule.

Enjoy!

and



GO NITROS!