Anyone walking around streets of Queens in New York City, will notice a world of flavors from Greece to Latin America and Asia.
For her latest solo cookbook, Vegan Eats World '300 International Recipes for Savoring the Planet' (Da Capo Lifelong Books, October 2012), Terry Hope Romero, the Vegan Latina who calls Queens home, had not to look far for inspiration.
Pumpkin can be found in many of her recipes from Baked Punky Pumpkin Kibbe to Jamaican Plantain and Pumkin Curry and Pumpkin Ravioli with Spicy Tomato Sauce.
Here's another one of them.
Pumpkin Black Bean Posole Stew
serves 4 to 6
I do love easy-to-make veggie posoles: this Mexican style soup with soft hominy corn topped with fresh
veggies is effortlessly healthy with a combination of fresh produce and pantry staples. The best part is the combination of warmly spiced, brothy soup below and cool, crunchy toppings on top, such as fried
tortilla chips, avocado, tomatoes, crisp cabbage, or toasted pumpkin seeds.
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 pounds pumpkin or winter squash, peeled and seeds removed, diced into 1-inch cubes
One 16-ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed
Two 14-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or 4 cups cooked beans)
4 teaspoons chile powder, either a blend or a single mexican chile such as ancho
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
Toppings
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 jalapeño, sliced into paper-thin rounds
2 cups thinly shredded cabbage
Long strips of fried corn tortillas or chips (blue corn looks especially snappy)
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Wedges of lime for squeezing into the soup
1. In a large soup pot over medium heat fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and translucent,
about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and fry for another 45 seconds, then add the vegetable broth, diced
pumpkin, hominy, black beans, chile powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Increase theheat and bring the soup to a boil, stir, then reduce
the heat to a low simmer and partially cover. Cook
for 20 to 25 minutes until the pumpkin is tender but
not completely falling apart. Turn off the heat, keep
covered, and let stand while you prepare the toppings.
Remove the bay leaves before serving.
2. Before serving, stir in the lime juice and taste
the soup, adding more salt if necessary. To serve,
ladle the soup into deep bowls and garnish generously
with the toppings, ending with the toasted
pumpkin seeds. Serve with lime wedges for posole
fans to squeeze into their soup!
(* Recipe reproduced from Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero- October 2012- by permission of publisher Da Capo Lifelong Books)