Five bean soup

Here's a traditional and hearty Portuguese recipe that is a personal family classic as well!

Recipe for our loved beans. Just yummy!

This is a dish I concocted one evening as I was rummaging through my cupboards fancying something beany with a smoky flavour which would also use up a random carrot and a few tomatoes. I'm always delighted when these dishes turn out well and this one has become a favourite of mine. You can have it with rice, in fajitas or with (my favourite), baked sweet potato. The combination of the smoky beans with the sweetness of sweet potato is a total delight, nom! Happy beaning!

This recipe has been in my family for over 100 years and we still enjoy a cup or two together every now and then. I must admit I tweaked the original recipe a bit to make it vega-proof. Enjoy!

There's nothing better than a hearty bowl of bean soup on a cold winter's night. This recipe uses a variety of beans (your choice) which adds extra colors, textures and subtle tastes. Mmmm. Good.

Beans Around the World

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.

Delicious kidney beans recipe from India.
Its a very hearty meal, that can be enjoyed with some yummy rice or butter naan.

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.

This is one of my favourite beany recipes. Suitable for vegetarians also, this recipe is a great family meal. You can really use whatever beans you like, I've just illustrated a few of my favourites. (you could even use baked beans!)

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!

Beans, sausages, onions and sunflower oil. Simple and delicious. The perfect Sunday meal for the entire family. Just try it and you will see.

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