Beans Around the World

Beans Around The World.

I was so excited when I first saw a combined soup bowl, because I frequently order two different soups to comprise my meal when dining out. Besides, I prefer duets to solos, pairs skating to singles...and the same is true for flamenco dancing. The dancing eighth notes (on the left) join up with the dancing sixteenth notes (on the upper right) to dance together as a couple. The beans on the rim of the soup bowl are a reference to polka dots, a traditional pattern for flamenco dresses. And the cilantro garnish is a nod to the fan, which adds a beautiful texture while both concealing and revealing.

Jokai bableves is a Hungarian bean soup named for Hungarian writer Jokai Mor, a great lover of bean soup. My grandmother Zsuzsanna Somlo was too a great lover of bableves, and this recipe reminds me of being together in her warm kitchen when I was a little girl. Spending all weekend with my grandparents, cooking and eating with a warm bableves on the stove (always with delicious Hungarian nokedli) is, in my opinion, synonymous with love.

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional italian soup and consists of inexpensive ingredients. There are a lot of variations of this dish, due to the availability of the ingredients in the different regions of Italy. Dean Martin popularized this dish with his song „That’s Amore“ which includes the lyrics "When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that's amore".

A stew using garbanzo beans, with African flair.

Of course, the beans can be soaked and cooked from scratch, fresh peppers can be roasted and peeled, fresh tomatoes can be peeled and chopped and spices can be freshly ground, rather than using ready-prepared ingredients if desired.

The spice quantities in this recipe produce a relatively mild flavour. For spice enthusiasts the amounts can be increased for a more punchy result.

Enjoy!

When I was a child my dad often prepared this dish on Sunday in our home in Milan. He told me that these black-eyed peas in Egypt were called "Cleopatra's eyes". I think he was just kidding me, but it was a way to convince me to taste them ...

A traditional Bulgarian soup made of beans, onions, carrots, olive oil, herbs and spices cooked over low heat in a big clay pot.
The recipe is simple and easy to find on the internet. The magic is that each family has its own unique combination of spices and the recipe is passed on from generation to generation.
In the past it was the bean soup that gathered the family together after a hard day's work on the field.
Nowadays it is often served for dinner and loved by everyone.

A beautiful Mexican bean stew recipe which is great for warming the heart. The few ingredients for this stew are staple cupboard items, making this a great last minute recipe.

Caldereta is a super spicy goat stew from the Philippines. Some replace the goat meat with beef or chicken, or add cheese and wine. It's a flexible recipe, just like Filipinos! I really miss Filipino food because I've been away from home so long. I love that the ingredients of this recipe are easy to find anywhere, so when I feel homesick I can whip it up easily and taste the heat of the islands. What makes this different from our other tomato-based stews? Aside from the goat meat, it's the chilies and garbanzo beans. It's a fancy dish usually served at fiestas. On the left side of the illustration is "caldereta" in the native script of the Philippines called baybayin. It is a style of writing that was almost lost but rediscovered and enjoying a resurgence among scholars and hobbyists. I hope someday our ancient writing will be just as ubiquitous as the ingredients for caldereta!

I've been a vegetarian more of my life than not, and I LOVE chili with lots of delicious, nutritious beans and spicy ingredients. I also love the nostalgia of vintage slow cookers, and memories of delicious smells in the kitchen for hours when I was growing up.

A delicious recipe for Tuscan bean soup set on top of the rolling hills of Tuscany.

If happens that you love a lot your onions, garbanzos and chicken I'm convinced that you will fall in love with this recipe.
This traditional comfort chickpeas soup is a worth dish to try in any season, it's fulfilling with vermicelli rice.
For the rise preparation just toast a hand full of vermicelli in 2 tablespoon of butter to golden brown, then add the washed rise and cover it with water, cook on low heat until cooked. Serve warm.

This recipe is for the I've Bean Around the World and the Mexican cuisine has a special place for all the beans of the world. The pinto bean soup is hearty, chunky and full of flavor of garlic and ancho peppers. Great year round and lands itself well to any toppings (chips, sour cream, guacamole, etc).

A traditional Chinese hot pot. It is very popular, especially for the Spring Festival.
Project for a class in SCAD.