Alot of people swear by the mango chutney, but for Millie Cole it's the Portuguese Bean Soup that marks the Punahou Carnival with good taste. Carnival bean soup
hits the spot"It is so wonderful," she says.
For more than 10 years she held onto the recipe for that soup, her copy all crumpled up and faded. And then -- she lost it, probably threw it away during a cupboard-cleaning frenzy, she says.
Not to fear. Bonnie Judd, Punahou's director of communications, needed just a few hours to round up the not-so-secret formula.
Jimmy Hashimoto, father of three Punahou graduates, is master of the bean soup, which was prepared in gigantic proportions during last weekend's carnival. He and his bean-soup volunteers cook up 1,800 gallons a year.
Cole -- who is not a Punahou parent -- took her children to the carnival for years and is now taking grandchildren. She's prepared this soup for years as well.
Of all the bean soup recipes out there, she says, this is the most fulfilling. She especially likes the cabbage and macaroni in it. "Every recipe has a different taste to it -- this one is very filling and very full-tasting. It's got a lot of body to it."
To cut the fat in this soup, try a technique recommended in other similar recipes: Cook the ham hocks a day ahead and refrigerate the broth. The next day, remove the hardened layer of fat atop the broth, then complete the soup.
Punahou Portuguese Bean Soup
1 pound ham hocksBoil ham hocks in 2 quarts water until tender (save stock). Cut meat from the bones.
3 small cans kidney beans
2 large potatoes, cubed
3 large carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 16-ounce can tomato sauce
1 pound Portuguese sausage, diced or cubed
1 cup macaroni, uncooked
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium head of cabbage, cubedBring ham stock to a boil and add the cut meat and all the remaining ingredients except the cabbage. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently. If too thick, add a little water. Add the cabbage, cook until tender. Makes 10 large servings.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving, no added salt: 480 calories, 21 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, greater than 1300 mg sodium.*
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Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the
Body & Soul section indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
