Cuban Flavour
February 18, 2010
Hi Everyone! Miami and Key West are beautiful and the food is amazing; both cities have the most amazing Cuban restaurants, loaded with flavours and very simple.
Most Cuban cooking relies on a few basic spices, such as garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay laurel leaves. Many dishes use a sofrito as their basis. The sofrito consists of onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, and ground pepper quick-fried in olive oil. The sofrito is what gives the food its flavor. It is used when cooking black beans, stews, and tomato-based sauces.
Below is a recipe is from one of my favorite vegan blogs, Fat Free Vegan.
No storms here in the sunny south but I may just need this recipe when I get home – lots of winter still left! Enjoy!
Stormy Black Bean Soup
Vary the amount of spices in this to suit your taste. I used the minimum amounts given, which put this right at the outer edge of my daughter’s spice tolerance.
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cans (or 3 cups) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp. chile powder
generous grating of black pepper
1-2 tsp. minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
4-5 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (optional)
lime wedges
In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic, and bell pepper until the onions soften, about 3 minutes. Add the beans, seasonings, and tomatoes, and stir to combine. Add 3 cups vegetable broth or water. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, adding additional water or vegetable broth as needed to keep a soupy consistency. Just before serving, add the corn, if you like, and heat through. Serve in bowls with lime wedges. Makes 4-6 servings.
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Great Website. Great recipes & motivation. I was in the Almonte Running Club April 2009 and this is the first time that I have stuck with my running once the sessions ended. Movement to Health and your website is very inspirational. Good resources for much needed changes in the food we should be eating and also the products we live with. I found the kids link very uplifting. More awareness is needed to change public’s focus on our health. Thank you very much for the direction and I just wish I lived closer to take advantage of your courses. I will continue to review your listing to see if I can make the trek into Ottawa on a weekly basis to join more classes in the future.
HI Sonya, great to hear from you, and it’s so good to hear you’ve kept up with your running. Hope to see you in Westboro sometime for a run, and at the National Capital Race Weekend!
Happy Running