Super Bean Soup for Bean Soup Lovers

Ingredients:

Prep. time 25 min.
Serves 5

• 4 cups cooked Peruano beans
• 1 cup Black Beans
• 1 stick, celery, small
• 1/4 white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, small
• 1 tomato
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 branch fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. chives
• Salt and green pepper
• 3 tbsp creme fraiche
• white cheese for the topping, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, you can use chicken broth if not vegetarian or water if you have non.
• 2 strips bacon, previously chopped and fried (optional)

1. Toss the beans, celery, onion, oregano, garlic, tomato, butter, parsley, broth and chives into the blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and serve in a pot at medium-high heat. Add the creme fraiche and stir until it completely blends, then cover for 15 minutes. Finally, toss in the bacon and serve. Add a parsley leaf and some white cheese cubes on top for decoration.

P.S. You can add 1/2 a red bell pepper, previously roasted, to the blender mix for a slight variation

Red Bell Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

6 servings
prep. time 15 minutes*

• 6 cups garbanzo beans/chickpeas*  
• 1 red ball pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups olive oil
• 4 leaves fresh basil
• 1 branch parsley
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• Ground clove
• Ground cumin
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 white onion
• Black sesame seeds to taste
• 1/2 stick fresh rosemary
• 6 soft corn tortillas

*soaked in water overnight and boiled until soft (about 40 min.). Yo can also use 2 cans, we just don't like canned food at Tanuki.

1. Soak the garbanzo beans overnight, one part garbanzo beans two parts water. Then boil them for about forty minutes or until soft enough to be crushed with your bare fingers. Meanwhile, in a wok, stir-fry the onion and the bell pepper, along with the zucchini and garlic cloves.

2. In a food processor, blend the zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic. Add the fresh basil and the parsley. Sprinkle with about half a teaspoon of ground cumin and a pinch of ground clove. Add the rosemary, the olive oil and the black sesame seeds, also add the boiled chickpeas and blend until you get your desired hummus consistency. Add salt to taste. Finally, chop the tomatoes and add them  to the mix

3. Soft-fry the tortillas cut into quarters in a comal or a pan until golden. You can also use pita bread.

P.S. Decorate with parsley leaves, black sesame seeds and a pond of olive oil. You can also eat it with celery sticks instead of pita bread or tortillas.

Green Pepper and Basil Escaroles Salad

Ingredients:

2 servings
prep. time 10 min

• 2 escarole endives
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper (green)
• Olive Oil
• 50 gr. cheese (I used Oaxaca)
• Ground garlic
• Rosemary

1. Spread the escaroles and the cheese in a dish.
Add the basil leaves and sprinkle with olive oil to taste.

2. Sprinkle with  garlic, salt and green pepper to taste. I often add some rosemary to it too if I have it at hand. Let the herbs soak in the oil before serving.







3. Enjoy on a hot summer day!

Escaroles Salad

P.S. You can also apple or pear slices on top for a sweeter touch!

Poblano Soup

Poblano Chili Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

2 servings
prep time 20 min

Poblano peppers, onion and white orn

• 3 poblano chili peppers
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 6 zucchini flowers*
• Chicken broth
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 2 heaping spoons cream
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 finely sliced corn tortillas
• Panela cheese (or any mild, white cheese)
• *If you can't find zucchini flowers in your area, use two zucchini instead.
• Cut sweet white corn

1. In a wok, stir-fry the onion, garlic clove and the zucchini flowers. Meanwhile, directly on the stovetop, grill the poblano. You want to make sure they turn completely black from all sides.

Pepper inside a plastic bag with salt

2. When the skin has blackened as shown in the above picture, take the poblanos off the fire and directly into one plastic bag each, pouring lots of salt into it (about two spoonfuls per bag). After 10 minutes, peel off the loose dark skin of the peppers with your hands though the bag and then finish the job using some tap water. They will look all nice and shinny again!! Cut them up in halves and remove hearts, veins and seeds.

Poblano soup

3. When the zucchini flowers and onions are done, pour them into the blender, along with the water, salt, pepper, poblano peppers and chicken broth. Blend. Then pour into a pot and keep over medium heat, adding a pinch of nutmeg and the milk,  make sure to stir until the milk completely blends in, keeping over the heat for at least 10 minutes, then add the cream and stir again until it mixes completely, keep it over the fire yet make sure it doesn't boil.

4. Finally, toast the sliced tortillas in a pan, stirring constantly. Make sure they don't get burnt or they'll get bitter. Chop the white cheese into small cubes and serve the soup, adding cheese cubes, toasted tortilla and some white corn on top; fresh parsley also looks and tastes great on it. Voilá! Poblano chili pepper soup, done. Enjoy!