Beans Recipe!
Equipment:
a 2 or 3 quart saucepan with lid
stir spoon
colander
Ingredients:
one bag, one lb of black beans
4+ cloves of garlic
2 onions, preferably yellow, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped <-- I don't use often
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt (heaped)
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cumin (heaped)
1/2 tsp coriander (heaped)
1/4 tsp seasoned salt (heaped)
2 tsp allspice fresh ground
1/2 tsp cayenne powder (heaped)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (heaped)
Directions:
Soak beans forever (more than 4 hours) in cold water
Drain beans
Rinse them off in a colander
Put into a pan that has a lid
Add 1 quart water (four cups)
Add all prepared ingredients
Bring to boil
Skim water surface for excess spices and froth (not so important)
Turn down the heat and pop the lid on to simmer for 1 hour
Drain the liquid, keep for other recipes if you want
Remove bay leaf(s)
Eat!
Tomato Soup Recipe!
Equipment:
one skillet or similar pan for sautéing
one two-pint-or-so saucepan
wooden spoon
spatula
blender
Ingredients:
one slice of bacon
one carrot => baby carrots++
fistful of small sweet tomatoes
veggie stock (just a couple tablespoons)
half-and-half or richer dairy
butter
fresh basil and parseley
black pepper
two or three cloves of garlic
Directions:
Cook your bacon slowly, so it's crispy and crumbles when done
Peel the garlic and drop it into the pan with the bacon
Julienne the carrot(s) so they've atleast one dimension in the 3mm range,
drop in with bacon.
blanche and then chop your tomatos
Get them in the saucepan and get them stewing a bit if you're ahead of schedule on it.
You probably won't be.
transfer the carrot and garlic and all drippings to the saucepan,
add the herbs all nice and minced-like and let it stew for a while
use the stock to deglaze the pan you cooked the bacon in.
Really work at it with high heat and the wooden spoon to ensure you get all the goodies
when it's stewed fully, fish the garlic out and set it aside.
Blitz the soup in the blender until you like the consistency and put it back in the saucepan.
add butter, dairy and black pepper to taste.
Salt if necessary but it usually isn't.
Don't let it get to a full simmer with the dairy already added
serve with bacon and sauteed garlic cloves (still whole) floated on top