I like soups, and I need more in my repertoire. This one proudly made the cut. It is surprisingly good, though I confess its best quality might be that it is a worthy vehicle for piles of salsa, avocados and a dollop of cream.

I could serve this with grilled, marinated steak or pork, or maybe just some quesadillas and a salad. Bring out the Mexican beer and margaritas! Chips, salsa, cornbread…
I have been intending to make this soup for a week, but never seemed to start early enough in the day. I shouldn’t complain: with this recipe I don’t need to remember to soak the beans the night before! It isn’t terribly difficult to make, you just need a timer and an early start around midday. (You need about a 3-4 hour jump start, since the beans need lots of soaking and simmering).

A few things: you can control how pureed or chunky you like this soup. In the least, pull out 2 cups of the beans and puree, add back to soup and leave the rest chunky. At the most: puree it all.

Black Bean Soup
2 cups dried black beans, washed
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups chopped yellow onion
4-5 cloves minced garlic
1 T fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried herbs
½ bunch cilantro, washed and cut into chiffonade
1 large anaheim pepper, finely chopped with seeds (or 2 jalapenos)
1 16 oz can roasted or chopped tomatoes with juice
3 T dark rum
1 tsp brown sugar
2 T lime juice
Kosher Salt to taste

Place beans in saucepan, cover with warm water by 3 inches, cover with lid. Bring to boil over low heat. While beans are waiting to boil: take out 3 small bowls. In the first put chopped onion, minced garlic and oregano. In the second place cilantro and pepper, in the third fill with rum, sugar, tomatoes and lime juice.

Back to the beans: let it boil hard for one minute, then simmer another 20 minutes. Drain beans of water, and add stock. Bring back to simmer; if stock drops below bean level, add more stock. Cook 20 minutes then add onion, garlic and oregano; cook another hour until beans fall apart, stir occasionally so beans don’t stick to pan. At the end of 2 hours, roughly chop/lightly puree soup. Place back in saucepan and add tomatoes, pepper, cilantro, rum and lime juice. Bring to simmer, puree about half of soup and add salt to taste.

I think it sounds silly too, but I swear cocotini is the new appletini. Appletinis are so 3 years ago; cocotinis are showing up on menus all around town.

Maybe this is because it has been a grey, long, wet winter and we need a drink with the ability to transport us to a sandy, tropical paradise. In any event, this chilled coconut beverage served in a martini glass unanimously glorifies sunny beaches and palm trees.

So, naturally, I had to play with the ingredients, ratios, hints of citrus and samplings of sugar. I figured it would take me days upon days of coconut imbibing to truly get it right. Maybe I should even travel to some sunny, sandy beaches… just to make sure I get it right.

I tried variations on the cocotini: one was similar to a lemon drop, only sans the vodka, add in the Malibu Rum. Another took coconut rum and mixed it with only vodka in a very, very chilled glass (with lovely ice chards reminiscent of a well chilled shaker, a necessary coolant for the blistering sun).

The only umbrella I want is the little paper one that belongs in my drink.

Or not: this is the most sophisticated drink rendition this coconut rum has ever seen. For that reason alone, the paper umbrellas will stay closed. The only garnish that will find its way into this new, trendy drink will be a twist of lemon:

Cocotini
Coconut rum
Vodka
Lemon wedge

To serve 2: Fill large shaker 1/2 with vodka, 1/4 with the rum and add juice of 1/4 lemon. Shake, shake and shake. Muddle if you can. Pour into very chilled glass. Close eyes, smell coconut, sip while thinking ‘beach.’ Then sit—preferably in the sun. Full-blown beach umbrellas optional.

MENU
Mixed Olives
Mac n Cheese
Roasted Romas
Pesto Pea Salad
Tiramisu

No, no my friends are not Italian, but they are vegetarian and I chose to cook an Italian inspired meal. Mostly, I needed an excuse to try my hand at Tiramisu and enough mouths to help me eat it! (Both the Tiramisu and the Pesto Pea Spinach Salad are inspired by Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa Family Style and her most recent book, Barefoot Contessa at Home, respectively).

Sometimes when I cook for vegetarian friends, I make a simple pasta dish and add sausages on the side for the carnivores at the table. In this case, the macaroni and cheese—a gourmet version made from scratch—is substantial enough on its own. Instead of needing a meat like accompaniment, all it needs is a pile of oven roasted tomatoes to refresh the palate and cut through all that rich flavor.

I love this macaroni and cheese dish—it can be frozen, heats up nicely for lunch and keeps for days in the fridge.

As for the olives: I sometimes buy them fresh from my local deli or favorite shop. In a pinch I use a jar of pitted kalamata olives (I keep a stash in my pantry), drain them and mix in 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of Italian herbs (fresh or dried) and a big pinch of kosher/course salt.

The pesto salad is a pile of spinach, lightly toasted pine nuts, a fistful of Parmesan cheese, another fistful of peas and 2-4 T of my pesto mixed with 1-2 T of olive oil (depending on how much dressing you like and how many people you are serving).

And if you are like me, please feel free to add in some chianti or other lovely red wine, and perhaps some port, grappa or sambuca/ouzo to go with dessert. I love that idea: a toast to start the meal and a toast to end it: Salute!

(Click on the red highlighted menu items to find a given recipe).