FOOD TECHNOLOGY
RED PEA SOUP WITH SQUASH AND SCALLION SPINNERS
Greetings!
I am snowbirding near the calm shores of Venice Beach (lucky me!) in an apartment that is not my own. Last week, I had a craving for red pea soup. No better way to settle into a new kitchen than to do some cooking. I reached into a lower cabinet for a large grey pot, and my eyes caught a whisper of red: an Instant Pot. I've used one before, of course, but I've never lived with one for an extended period. I was faced with a question. Should I make the soup with the help of electric pressure, or should I use the grey pot?
As my eyes flitted between the two vessels, I thought of the introduction to Andy Baraghani's (excellent!) cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be. "Certain tools are essential to becoming a great cook—a sharp knife, a well-seasoned pan, a durable cutting board. I am wary of tools for specific tasks and technology that take the joy out of cooking. You will not find a garlic press in my kitchen and never will I own an Instant Pot." Never will he. NEVER WILL HE? The certainty buckled my knees.
Suddenly, the Instant Pot was sitting on the wooden countertop, draped in ribbons of California sunshine. Its color, buttons, and smooth curves reminded me of my very first slow cooker, a gift from my dear friend Mallory during my senior year of college. Soft, stewy things appeared in its ruby-red ceramic belly. "Pretty good," I thought to myself on multiple occasions. After graduating, I lugged it up to New York and, triumphantly, confidently continued producing ultra-soft meats, beans, and other supermarket-driven delights. I used it until it shriveled up, heating coils fried. The "slow years," as I like to call them, gave me the gift of time. On days when I was braising this or stewing that, I felt the joy of leaving while an appliance worked on my behalf, without supervision.
I get asked a lot about food appliances—Instant Pots, rice cookers, sous vide wands, air fryers. Sometimes, I wonder if I should own and operate these items just to have better answers, but I find great joy cooking things "the old way." This preference doesn't mean I'm right or righteous. It's just how I like to cook right now. While Baraghani's sentiments on simplicity really resonate with me, I don't share his conviction on forever. For as many years as I've been cooking, I still feel very much like a tadpole in this big, amorphous practice of feeding myself and others.
I ended up making the soup in the regular grey pot, mostly because I didn't want to do the math of converting the ratios to those suitable for pressure cooking. I look forward to forging a partnership with my smart, red roommate, potentially reigniting a flame for food tech. Maybe I'll find joy in its ease and safety. Maybe I'll hate it. I'll let you know! If there was a moral to this story, it might be to embrace your style of cooking and gather tools and techniques that support it. And if you need an appliance recommendation, I would check out Wirecutter.
Should we talk about the recipe? Red pea and squash soup is a take on the classic Jamaican red pea soup, which is a soup built around the starch and heft of kidney beans. You could make it in a traditional pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or not (as outlined below). A salted piece of pork would make it more traditional, or you could try my vegetable-forward version. I've often made this recipe with sausage, bacon, and short ribs. There are optional spinners, which are dumplings similar to very fat, dense pieces of pasta. It's exceptionally flexible, seasonally appropriate, and nice to eat.
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING
Soaking beans overnight shortens the cooking time and promotes a more even texture. You can make dried beans without soaking them, it will just take longer for the beans to soften and absorb their cooking liquid. To soak, place rinsed beans in a vessel and cover with plenty of water. Leave the beans to soak overnight. That’s it!
Most soup recipes are flexible on the type of stock required: vegetable, chicken, beef, mushroom, etc. Red pea soup is the same! I'm sure it would be good with a parmesan broth (groovy). Water, too! You can almost always use water in place of stock in a pinch; just don’t forget to season aggressively.
Bay leaves add a subtle, herby complexity to soups and stews. I know they’re always marked as optional, but go ahead and grab a bottle! You’ll use them.
REVIEWS ARE IN
“Big ingredients and big taste! Everything a body needs.” - Elish P.
WHAT WE'RE MAKING
RED PEA SOUP WITH SQUASH AND SCALLION SPINNERS
SERVES 6
1½ cups dry kidney beans
extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Crushed red pepper
8 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
1 bay leaf
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups diced butternut squash, winter squash, or sweet potato
1 bunch greens, like mustard, kale, or Swiss chard, roughly chopped
For the spinners (dumplings):
All-purpose flour
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Rinse the beans and place in a bowl. Cover with plenty of water. Leave them at room temperature to soak overnight.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add a pinch or two crushed red pepper, depending on your preference for heat.
Drain the beans and add them to the pot. Add the stock, 2 cups of water, and the bay leaf. Season the broth with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes more, or until the beans are tender.
While the beans cook, make the spinners: In a medium bowl, toss 1 cup of flour with the sliced scallions. Season with a pinch of salt. Add water, starting with ⅓ cup and increasing slowly, until the dough is soft and shaggy, without sticking to the sides of the bowl. Roll small pieces of dough in between your hands to make thin tubes, about 1½ inches long and ½-inch wide. These are smaller and thinner than traditional spinners, but I like mine on the petite side.
Once the beans are tender, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the squash, greens, and spinners, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the squash and spinners are tender. Fish out the bay leaf, and enjoy!
MORE RECIPES
If you're a chicken person, check out my recipes for Peruvian-style chicken thighs and this harissa chickpea and chicken skillet!
Thank you for reading!!
Love,
Ash
Chekhov’s instant pot
Combine the red pea soup with daily Pilates for that yolked kinda life.