Black Bean Bisque

A couple of weeks ago Kevin and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, 82 Queen.  Favorite because it is where we had our very first date five years ago.   They also have some of the best crab cakes that I have had in Charleston.  I normally do not order soup at a restaurant but black bean bisque was a their special for the evening and it is one of my favorites!   It did not disappoint.  It was very creamy, smooth and had just the right hint of spiciness.  Of course, now I had to go home and replicate this great appetizer.

I searched and searched for a great recipe but nothing was like what I had eaten that evening.  Every recipe ended up being a soup with whole beans and more broth.  I wanted that creaminess without the fat from cream and more of a thicker “bisque” rather than a soup broth.  I thought I had found the recipe, then discovered that it contained diced tomatoes, which I did not pick up in my bisque at 82 Queen.   So I decided to make my own…to “wing” it…not follow a recipe and simply the process of making a bisque.  The result was a very creamy and smooth black bean bisque…all without the added fat of heavy cream and butter.

Not only was my bisque delicious, it was full of nutrition.  First of all, black beans are loaded with protein and antioxidants.  They are also fiber all stars!  Carrots provided beta carotene as well.  We enjoyed our bisque with home made corn fritters (which I don’t have a recipe for…again… but since they were so good Kevin begged that I make them again and write down the recipe this time).

Black Bean Bisque

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4 cups black beans

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 c. carrots, finely diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

3 tbsp. light olive oil

Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, garnish

Scallions, garnish

Avocado, garnish

Method

Heat olive oil on medium heat in stock pot or Dutch oven. Sauté onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and jalapeno until tender. Add seasonings and stir together. De glaze pan with 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth. Stir. Add in cooked black beans and remaining broth. Simmer on medium low heat for 20- 25 minutes to let flavors develop and beans absorb seasonings.

Remove pot from heat and puree with immersion blender to desired consistency. Return the pot to the heat and continue to simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes or until ready to serve.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, scallions, avocado or desired toppings.

A Spin on Pasta e Ceci

I seldom follow recipes. I almost always make a change or substitute an ingredient the very first time I try a recipe. I don’t know why, I just do. In culinary school we were given recipes and told to run with them. Our chefs never expected us to follow the recipe just the process. The process is important not necessarily the ingredients. Darn teachers! This must be the reason why I don’t ever make the same thing twice. I am actually surprised that I can even blog recipes since I almost always “wing it”.  Lately I have been forcing myself to measure everything I add to my pot on the stove or bowl of batter so that I can blog about them and know they will work.

Here is a perfect example of a recipe that I had to change before I even made it once.  While I knew the original recipe that used pancetta would taste wonderful, I did not have any in the house.  Therefore I resorted to using lean ground turkey.  I am sure you could also substitute ground beef as well.  This soup tastes similar to minestrone because of my substitution and would be even closer to minestrone if I would have added kidney beans.  Kevin and I enjoyed eating it along with some good ole’ crusty bread and dipping oil.

A Spin on Pasta e Ceci

Serves 4 to 6

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 large fresh rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 c. chopped onion

3 ounces pancetta, chopped (I subbed lean ground turkey)

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups low- sodium chicken broth

2 (14.5- ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5- ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice

¾ cup ditalini (thimble- shaped pasta)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Method

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta (or ground turkey) and garlic and sauté until the onion is tender. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and herb sprigs. Cover and bring to a boil over medium- high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the herb stems from the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.

Transfer 1 cup of the bean mixture to a blender and reserve. Add the ditalini to the soup pot, cover, and bring the liquid back to a boil. Boil gently until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Puree the reserved bean mixture until smooth, then stir the puree into the boiling soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle each serving with some freshly grated Parmesan and serve.

Source: Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis

Quick & Easy

Need a super quick and easy breakfast? These are your go to muffins. They are great because it is a banana muffin base with the option to add any mix-in that you like. They also have very little sugar in the recipe which is nice because you are able to pick up the sweetness from the fruits instead. I picked strawberries and blueberries since both were starting to go bad. I made these last Sunday morning and they were a delicious accompaniment to our scrambled eggs & fruit.

Strawberry Banana Blueberry Muffins

Yield: about 10 muffins

Ingredients

2 c. sifted all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 c. mashed ripe banana

¼ c. milk

2 tablespoons melted butter or oil

½ c. strawberries, chopped

½ c. blueberries

For the topping

1 tablespoon dry oats

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds

Method

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix remaining ingredients, minus the strawberries & blueberries, in a separate bowl. Toss the blueberries & strawberries in the flour mixture. Add wet mixture all at once to flour mixture, stirring just to moisten.

Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Top each muffin with a small amount of the dry topping.

Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Happy Ending Date Bars

You are probably wondering why these sweet little treats are called “Happy Ending Date Bars”? Very simply because they contain date filling spiked with rum…which is the “happy ending”. Also because I made these for Valentine’s Day and I thought that it would be an appropriate name considering the holiday.

My mom has made these little bar cookies ever since I can remember. Probably because they are so easy to make especially when you have young children and no extra time to bake. I have no idea where the recipe originally came from but I always knew that I could find it in her little green spiral notebook. The notebook that has stains on pages from butter and sugar from making homemade toffee.

I hope you enjoy these little treats just as much as my family always has. My favorite combination would be using red raspberry preserves from Rothschild’s Berry Farm. We used to pick strawberries and raspberries here when we were kids growing up. It was just a large farm with an outside stand and tons of baby pine trees and fruit growing. Now their products are distributed nationally and those baby pines are gigantic!

Happy Ending Date Bars

Makes 18 squares

Ingredients

2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

½ c. butter, slightly softened

½ c. finely chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans

1 egg, beaten slightly

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 c. date filling or favorite fruit preserves

1 tablespoon dark Rum

Method

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Use your fingers, a fork, or pastry cutter. Add the nuts, egg, and vanilla. Mix with hands. The mixture will not form dough. The mixture will feel like sand.

In a small bowl combine date filling and dark Rum until smooth. Feel free to substitute any of your favorite fruit preserves like cherry, raspberry, or strawberry.

Press ½ of mixture into a greased 13 X 9” pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Spread entire amount of fruit filling on top of the base of the baked bars. Sprinkle the other half of the crumbly mixture on top of filling. Bake 15 minutes longer.

Remove bars from oven and cool completely before cutting.