M. Darusha Wehm

Explorer of Worlds Real and Imagined

vegetable stock

Recipes of Arkadia: Betsy’s Picante Beans

Food — growing it, preparing it, eating it — is a central part of life in the Arkadia space colony. Over the next few weeks I’m sharing recipes for some of the food mentioned in the book.

I don’t know how the chili wars will play out in the future, so let’s not even go there. This dish definitely owes its heritage to the American Southwest, and happens to go very well with Camilo’s Corn Bread.

Recipes of Arkadia: Betsy's Picante Beans
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 24 hours
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 24 hours
Recipes of Arkadia: Betsy's Picante Beans
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 24 hours
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 24 hours
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Soak the beans overnight in fresh water.
  2. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil, adding salt and spices. Add the chili and sweet peppers, and cook until soft.
  3. Add the vegetable stock and kidney beans, simmer until they are getting tender. Add the chick peas, and simmer until nearly done. Add more stock or water if the mixture sticks or dries out.
  4. Add the tomatoes, simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down.
  5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaf.
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Notes

Notes
￪1, ￪4, ￪7 diced
￪2 crushed
￪3 seeded and diced
￪5, ￪6 soaked overnight

Recipes of Arkadia: Slava’s Moroccan Chick Pea Soup

Food — growing it, preparing it, eating it — is a central part of life in the Arkadia space colony. Over the next few weeks I’m sharing recipes for some of the food mentioned in the book.

This soup is Siobhan Patel’s favourite, so Vyacheslav Haeroa makes it as often as he can in his soup café. Whatever it takes to get her to see him.

Recipes of Arkadia: Slava's Moroccan Chick Pea Soup
Print Recipe
Earth-based cooks can substitute canned tomatoes and chick peas.
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
60 minutes 12 hours
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
60 minutes 12 hours
Recipes of Arkadia: Slava's Moroccan Chick Pea Soup
Print Recipe
Earth-based cooks can substitute canned tomatoes and chick peas.
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
60 minutes 12 hours
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
60 minutes 12 hours
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Soak dried chick peas in cold water overnight. They will double in size, so use a large bowl and enough water.
  2. Saute onion and garlic.
  3. Add spices, stir until onion is translucent.
  4. Add flour, and cook a minute.
  5. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat as broth begins to thicken.
  7. Add tomatoes and drained chickpeas, taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
  8. Simmer 60-90 minutes (or about 15 minutes if using canned or pre-cooked chick peas).
  9. Add a dash of lemon juice prior to serving.
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Notes

Notes
￪1 diced
￪2 soaked overnight
￪3 chopped
￪4 minced

Recipes of Arkadia: Betsy Rhys-Jones’s Spicy Vegetable Stew

Food — growing it, preparing it, eating it — is a central part of life in the Arkadia space colony. Over the next few weeks I’m sharing recipes for some of the food mentioned in the book.

Betsy isn’t one to build a community hall or tend to crops, but she isn’t content to just sit by the riverside. She loves to cook, but cooking for one is a pain. So why not share with everyone?

Recipes of Arkadia: Betsy Rhys-Jones's Spicy Vegetable Stew
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Recipes of Arkadia: Betsy Rhys-Jones's Spicy Vegetable Stew
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
2 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Sauté the onion in the oil, with salt, pepper and other spices. (Note - spice amounts are approximate. Adjust to taste/smell).
  2. When the onions are translucent, add the stock and beans. Cover and simmer until the beans are just tender but not quite done.
  3. Add chopped potato and yam. If necessary, add stock/water to cover. Simmer about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the green beans or other vegetables. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Serve with rice or fresh bread.
Recipe Notes

The cook and prep time is highly dependent on what (or if) dried beans are used. Lentils and pre-soaked chick peas cook in about half an hour, other pre-soaked beans can take up to an hour and a half. But you can let the stew just simmer on the stove while you do other things, making the house smell wonderful. Or use canned beans. That works, too.

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Notes

Notes
￪1 diced
￪2, ￪3 small
￪4 or other pre-soaked beans
￪5 or other chopped vegetables

Recipes of Arkadia: Vyacheslav Haereoa’s Easy Creamy Veggie Soup

Food — growing it, preparing it, eating it — is a central part of life in the Arkadia space colony. Over the next few weeks I’m sharing recipes for some of the food mentioned in the book.

Arkadia isn’t large enough to be able to sustain all crops year round, so its chefs need to be able to improvise based on what is available. This basic soup recipe can be modified nearly endlessly to use different ingredients and create highly varied options.

When Slava Haereoa decided to open a soup cafe, this was the first thing he made. It’s really easy to make, but don’t tell his regular patrons!

Recipes of Arkadia: Vyacheslav Haereoa's Easy Creamy Veggie Soup
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Recipes of Arkadia: Vyacheslav Haereoa's Easy Creamy Veggie Soup
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Sauté the onion in the oil with salt & pepper, add the garlic.
  2. Add the potatoes, vegetables and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
  3. Let it cook until the everything is soft. With a potato masher or stick blender, puree everything until it is creamy.
  4. Add herbs or spices to taste. You can add milk or cream if you want a richer soup.
Recipe Notes

Some good combinations:

  • basil with zucchini (pictured)
  • chiles, coriander and cumin with pumpkin/carrots
  • thyme with broccoli
  • nutmeg with cauliflower
  • mint with peas
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Notes

Notes
￪1 diced
￪2 crushed
￪3 scrubbed and diced