When I started writing my cookbook “Delicious El Salvador,” my Salvadoran friends would always ask me if I planned to include my recipe of white bean and pork rip soup; well, here it is!

The combination of white beans, oregano, pork, annatto, and thyme creates a velvety texture that explodes with flavors.

White Bean and Pork Rib Soup- Sopa de Frijoles Blancos con Costilla de Cerdo

Serves 6

• 1½ cups dried white or navy beans (12 ounces)
• 8 cups water
• 2 pounds baby back pork ribs cut into individual ribs
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 teaspoon ground annatto seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (1 teaspoon if dried)
• 2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Sort through the beans for any little stones or shriveled/broken beans and discard. Rinse in cold water, place in large pot, and add the 8 cups of water.

Over medium to high heat bring the beans and water to a boil, and then add the ribs, bay leaf, garlic, onion, tomato, annatto, salt, and thyme. Bring everything to a full boil, cover, and immediately reduce heat to medium. Cook the soup for about 2 hours, stirring every so often.

Remove ½ cup of beans and 1 cup of liquid from the soup; set aside and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, add the carrots to the pot and continue cooking for about 15 minutes. Purée the ½ cup of beans and the 1 cup of liquid in a blender or food processor and stir in back into the soup.

Cook uncovered for another 5 minutes, then remove from the stove. Discard the bay leaf and correct the salt. Add and stir the black pepper to taste Serve hot and lightly sprinkle each serving with the dried oregano.

For our second week of recipe round-up posts we decided to share simple recipes that our niños can help out with and will surely allow for some conversation en español. We also included something a little spicy for us adults to enjoy. Make sure to click on the links to read the full recipe and explore each blog. These ladies have many awesome recipes for all occasions !

Breakfast Egg and Bean Mini-Torta Recipe

Silvia of Mama Latina Tips shared this simple mini-torta breakfast recipe that anyone can make with a few ingredients that are usually staples in a Latino home. It’s the perfect breakfast to treat your family before our chaotic days begin.

It’s An Arepa Party!

Melissa B of Hungry Food Love shared these arepa recipes with her readers that center around the versatility of arepas. In her post you will find a little introduction to arepas and a simple recipe for Venezuelan arepas. Then, a few ideas on how to stuff arepas with a wide range of ingredients. A perfect recipe to get the kids involved too!

Easy Brisket Enchiladas

Vianney of Sweet Life shares the story of how she came up with this quick recipe using left overs and simple ingredients. What  we love about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is. Check it out here.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Leslie of La Cocina de Leslie cooked up this simple and delicious tomato soup to warm us right up.

Fideuá Azteca

Feeling adventurous? Try this recipe for a Fideuá Azteca by Rosa of Sazón Boricua. This recipe might be a little spicy for little ones but would be great dish to share with guests.

Even though the days are now prone to get shorter and colder, November is a month of big celebrations. Thanksgiving, of course, is the first thing that comes to mind when using the “c” word, but there are some other, less traditional reasons that make this month special. For example, November is Good Nutrition Month. Now this is the kind of celebration I really like. Even though I love a good pig-out every now and then, and however much I eat on these occasions there will always –ALWAYS- be space left for dessert, good nutrition is the motto I generally live by, and it’s nice to celebrate it and remind others of the importance of eating well.

“You are what you eat.”

“Let your food be your medicine.”

These wise ideas were shared by visionary men centuries ago, and remain as prevalent as ever in these times of sugar addiction, TV dinners, and the likes.

To celebrate this important month, I decided to try yet another recipe using my favorite nutritious ingredient in the world: quinoa. For those of you who don’t know, quinoa is an Andean super seed that has been used since the times of the Incas for its amazing taste, and health properties. I eat quinoa every morning for breakfast (instead of oatmeal, but cooked the same way), and I love to try new ways of making it whenever I get the chance.

Scrawling through the internet in search of inspiration, I found a delicious mushroom and Marsala soup that I decided would go incredibly well (and could be turned into a very filling meal) with the addition of some quinoa. Autumn is when I start craving hearty soups that keep me warm throughout the day, so this recipe sounded like the perfect candidate.

I’m also a big fan of any dish that uses a good wine in its preparation, and many times I add it at random to any recipe. I just love what a good cooking wine does for food! I really have come to consider them an important staple ingredient in my kitchen. For this soup I used the wonderful Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine, and the depth of flavor it gave to the mushroom and quinoa combo was a total delight. Why don’t you go and try it yourself?

And don’t forget to celebrate this Good Nutrition Month with the ones you love!

Hearty Mushroom, Marsala and Quinoa Autumn Soup Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pack (about 500 gr) mushrooms of your choice, sliced

1 diced white onion

2 diced carrots

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

1.5 lts vegetable stock

1/4-1/2 cup Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 tablespoons tomato purée

Grated fresh Parmesan cheese to serve (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. To make the quinoa, put in a pan with twice the amount of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes at medium-high heat. Drain any remaining water and reserve.

2. Slice and dice all the veggies. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and sauté the garlic, onion, carrot and rosemary for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring. Then add the Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine, stock, and tomato puree.

4. Cook for 30 minutes, adding more liquid (either water or stock) if it becomes too thick. Season with salt and pepper, and add the quinoa.

5. Serve in soup bowls, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Disclosure: As Mizkan Advocates, SpanglishBaby receives compensation for creating and sharing these recipes with you. All opinions are our own.