In the Kitchen With Ricky: Portuguese Bean Soup is the stuff to warm your soul in cold January
Happy 2023! At this point the warmth and magic of the holiday season have passed, days of sunlight are pretty much at their shortest, and it is just cold. Well, there’s a reason January is National Soup Month – we need every reason to warm our souls inside and out.
Jan. 6 also happens to be National Bean Day! I am a huge fan of bean soup. There are so many varieties of bean soup, and if you think about it even split pea and lentil soups are versions, falling under the broader umbrella of legumes.
I grew up with the recipe I am sharing with you today. Portuguese Bean Soup, or Molho de Feijao, was a staple at any large family gathering, and especially Christmas Eve, where we would have it alongside linguica (Portuguese sausage) sandwiches. After my great -grandmother, Caroline, who immigrated from the Azores, died, an uncle picked up the tradition with her recipe. He quickly passed that recipe to my mom and then me, so I’ve probably been making this soup for almost 30 years.
It is well spiced, but not spicy, and it will warm your insides and please those taste buds. The soup is richly flavored with cinnamon, allspice, and cumin (warming spices) for a familiar, but unique flavor profile that you don’t always find in Western savory cuisine. We are using the Portuguese sausage in this recipe, and I urge you to give it a try. You should be able to find it at your local grocery store, but if you can’t, smoked sausage would be welcome. You can also use bacon in place of the sausage all together.
I hope you enjoy this piece of my culture and upbringing and give it a try. I think you’ll find that it hits the spot, this time of year especially. Stay warm!
Portuguese Bean Soup
1 pound dry beans, pinto or pink
2 tablespoons bacon grease, lard or olive oil
1 pound linguica (Portuguese sausage), or other smoked sausage, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean and rinse dried beans.
Soak beans overnight, making sure they are always covered by at least 1 inch of water.
Add fat to the bottom of a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven placed over medium heat.
Add in sliced linguica and cook until it just begins to take on color, render its fat and crisp around the edges.
Remove cooked sausage and set aside.
Add in onions and cook until just translucent, then add in garlic.
Once you add garlic, stir constantly for another minute, then add in all spices and toast with the onions and garlic, for about 2 minutes, or until nice and fragrant.
Add back in cooked sausage along with tomatoes, beans, and enough water to cover by 1 inch.
When the mixture just starts to come to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot.
Simmer, checking and stirring periodically to make sure there is still water covering the beans and that they are not sticking to the bottom. If water is absorbed, add enough so that the beans remain covered.
The longer you cook, the better, but plan on at least 3 hours to get a nice and thick soup.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper before serving.
Beans are great made the day prior and then reheated.
Serve with a crusty piece of bread for sopping up the soup.
Serves six to eight.
Enjoy!
Ricky Webster, owner of Rind and Wheat and Morsel by Rind and Wheat, can be reached at ricky@rindandwheat.com. Follow Webster on Instagram @rickycaker.