Parranda!

Part of the Puerto Rican tradition, the parrandas is when a bunch of us get together to eat, sing, and visit people to sing, and eat, at their places. This usually goes all night long and many times the visitees are not even notified. This makes it all the more fun.

By the time the sun is coming up on the other side, people would be tired and hungry. What better way to end a long night than with soup! Usually this would be a very hearthy chicken soup seasoned with chunks of ham and all that [good] stuff; in my vegetarian case, this is not acceptable. So I decided to make the soup myself, make it vegetarian, and make it better than it's carnivore counterpart. It was better, for me.

For the protein conscious, I selected chickpeas: one of the most versatile legumes ever designed by intelligent evolution. I also used an organic vegetable stock, which I found to be quite good (I usually don't use any). The list of ingredients is quite extensive, but here it is:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely sliced
• 1 carrot, cut in half lenghtwise and finely sliced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 corn cob, cut in 1cm slices
• 2-3 tablespoons of chopped pimentos
• 2 cups of chopped pumpkin
• 1/3 cup of red wine
• 4 cups of vegetable stock

First, get a large pot where to cook all these things. Start by heating some olive oil and sautéing the onions, green peppers, garlic, and cilantro. When it softens, add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, then add the vegetable stock.

When the stock starts boiling, add the rest of the ingredients little by little, starting with the harder veggies (potatoes and carrots) and finishing with the softer ones (pumpkin).

I don't use a timer: I use potatoes. Since they take a while longer to cook than most veggies, whenever they are ready, whatever I'm cooking would most likely be ready as well. This soup is no exception, so cook until the potato is done. The rest will be cooked with the soups's own heat.

Another way can be with the pumpkins. Since it's the last thing you add, when it dissolves (you can help it with a fork) then the soup is probably ready. The dissolved pumpkin gives this soup a whole new dimension. Don't skip that ingredient.

As for this soup in the parranda, it was well accepted and most people ate of it. Within a few hours (people were coming and going and eating throughout the whole night) there was only like one or two cups left; I originally brought about a gallon and a half of soup. I donated the leftover to be used as a base for a 4:00am shrimp soup, which was actually my cue to leave the party, since I'm deathly allergic to seafood.

Victor recommends: 

Wolfgang Puck Vegetable Broth, 32-Ounce (Pack of 12)

Manufacturer: Wolfgang Puck

Part Number:

Price:

Goya, Bean Chick Peas, 15.5-Ounce (24 Pack)

Manufacturer: Goya

Part Number:

Price: $28.56

DeLallo Diced Pimentos, 4-Ounce Glass Jar (Pack of 24)

Manufacturer: DeLallo

Part Number:

Price: $36.00