I made a horrible, lean, watery cabbage soup that I had to feed to the chickens because it was so bad. I had trusted the cookbook author and followed the recipe exactly. Big mistake, but here is the antidote. Chicken, beef, AND pork! It's rich and satisfying. It won't leave you wondering if times are really so desperate after all, and it serves 12. So make it for a big group, or make it once and freeze the rest for future dinners when you need something instant. You need an ENORMOUS pot. 

This recipe calls for yuca, or cassava. You can usually find it in a Latin grocery store, and sometimes already peeled in the frozen section. It has a nice gummy texture; I believe tapioca is made from yuca. The preparation is simple. Peel it, cut it into manageable 2" sections, and remove the tough cord that grows down the center since it's impossible to chew. It wasn't until later that I read somewhere that it's poisonous before you cook it. It would have been nice to know earlier, but I was never tempted to pop the woody tuber in my mouth anyway. Here is a complete step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare yuca for cooking if you feel like you need it. 

The tomato sauce that seasons the whole dish is so good I will at least double it next time. It would be so good over eggs or spooned onto just about anything. This recipe is from Saveur, and they based it on a recipe from Secrets of Colombian Cooking by Patricia McCausland-Gallo. 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large tomato
3/4 cup chopped scallions
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon saffron
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 whole chicken
1-1/2 pounds pork spareribs, separated
1 pound beef brisket or stew meat
3 scallions
a few springs of cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
4 cloves garlic

2 pounds cassava, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

3 avocados sliced for serving
white rice to serve along with the soup

There are probably a million waffle recipes out there, but this is the one I usually use. You prepare everything the night before so it's all ready to go in the morning. I think a lot of waffles taste like cardboard, but because of the whole wheat pastry flour and the little bit of sourness from the overnight fermentation these are a little more interesting. I double everything so that it makes a huge batch and then freeze enough for at least another two breakfasts. 

I have come upon this same recipe in one form or another at least three times, but most recently as Marion Cunningham's Yeast-Raised Waffles in Saveur Magazine. Here it is now where I can't lose it (doubled and with minor alterations). 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 cups milk
1 cup melted butter or coconut oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water while you get out the rest of the ingredients. 

In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the baking soda, cover it, and refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, whisk in the baking soda and heat up your waffle iron. Cook it however you normally do, but I found that  letting it sit for a minute before closing the iron resulted in fuller looking waffles. This made about thirteen waffles. I froze the leftovers for future mornings when I will split them in half and toast them.