Dear The Kitchen,
I'm part of a rotating dinner party group and I'm up next. I've got a killer recipe for vegetable black bean soup that's pretty hearty and spicy, but I'm not sure what else to serve with it.
I was thinking maybe cornbread or something, but do you have suggestions for bread, salads, sides or types of wine that would go well with such a soup? Thanks! And I'll let you know how it goes!
- Marie
Dear Marie,
The first thing that popped into my head was my mom's beer bread recipe. It's buttery (not to mention beer-y) and dipped into a spicy black bean soup, it would be divine, especially in winter. A quick google search will turn up many recipes, all similar to one another (it's a pretty basic formula). I will also post mom's recipe once I get my hands on it this weekend.
As for wine, I patched in a message to Jenny, our wine correspondent, and she says "Here are my three, totally oppositional recommendations:"
1) A rich, alcoholic, extracted Zinfandel, like a Ridge. Or try Bodegas Juan Gil Jumilla Monastrell - a Spanish wine available in NYC at Union Square Wines & Spirits, and Astor Wines. Something with lots and lots of fruit, big alcohol but not too much tannin. Tannin and black beans are not friendly with one another.
2) A dry Sherry; these are an acquired taste, personally I love them but they are bone dry, mildly oxidative and really nutty. Either a fino or a Manzanilla but not a cream Sherry.
3) Demi-Sec Vouvray, a soft light Chenin Blanc with a hint of sweetness, just a hint.
Good luck!
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Care to share the recipe, Marie?
Seconded! I've been looking for a good, hearty, vegetarian black bean soup recipe. Please share!
I like the cornbread idea. You could also toast some pepitas with some cayenne and salt and serve them on the side or sprinkle them on some sauteed greens (like kale, collards, or chard) or sprinkle them on a Mexican-style salad with beets, feta, and avocado. I love PEPITAS!
I only recently discovered that I actually like beans. And black beans are the best. So, I would love the recipe, too.
marie, i immediately associated black beans with cuban cuisine...so my suggestions are:
"mariquitas": thinly sliced and deep-fried plantain chips, served warm and salted (see previous salt thread!)
"salad" of peeled cucumber slices, grated purple cabbage, dressed with oil-vinagre
"croquetas": any basic croquette, with mayonaise-ish side sauce.
to drink: Rum or beer or white sangria
I once made a great Orange & Red onion Salad with cumin that was a perfect complement to Black Bean soup - I am at work now so I don't have the recipe but this recipe for SPICY ORANGE SALAD WITH GREEN ONIONS at epicurious seems like a good substitute and it calls for Blood oranges which are in season now.
Good luck!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106464
guacamole.
a cheese plate (Camembert, Pont Levesque, Oka) with great bread(s), maybe rye etc., and, if not serving the cheeseplate, a cheesecake for dessert.
Whenever I make black bean soup, I make the Spicy Pineapple Salsa from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks:
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=196436
The Moosewood Cuban Black Bean soup recipe (with orange juice) is good too.
http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/recipes/blackbeansoup.html
Roasted sweet potatoes or kobocha squash as a side. Their color and flavor provide a nice contrast to hearty black beans.
I would always serve with a starchy veggie and a green.
Favorite starches: manioc fries (Mandioca Frita - brazilian; the cubans make this, too) with a garlic/lime dip; oven roasted potatos; cubes of steamed squash.
If in a hurry, chips and salsa are also a great complement, and a topping the soup with fresh cilantro and a dash of sour cream in the soup can be super.
Favorite greens: have to do kale, and do it Brazilian style: Cut the stems out, and slice the leaves into very skinny strips, like blades of grass. Then saute garlic (and maybe some crushed red pepper flakes) in olive oil, add the kale, and saute until deep lovely green color. Salt and serve. The texture of the skinny strips makes this a wonderful way to eat kale.
Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'm definitely going to do a cheese plate and sangria had crossed my mind as well. I'm going to try a few of the side ideas over the weekend to see how they go.
As for the recipe, I forgot to mention that it's a crock-pot recipe, which might turn some people away. But I love it because I can prep everything the night before and then start cooking before I leave for work. Anyhow, here it is:
Serves 6-8
3 med. carrots, halved and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
20 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
15 oz. can chicken or vegetable broth
15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
15 oz. can corn, drained
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (i like more)
1/2 tsp. chili powder (i like more)
hot pepper sauce to taste
cook all ingredients in a slow cooker, covered on low for 9-10 hours.
i second the pairing of sweet potatos with black beans..... and both of those lovely foods were born to go with avocados.
black beans, avocado, cheese (..& sweet potatoes)...umm. Tortillas would be easy & good too, wheat or corn, pref. homemade, as would baked or fried sweet plantains topped with cinammon sugar.
Marie if you are still thinking of going for sangria: My step dad is from Spain & he taught me how to make sangria his way -- 2-3 bottles of red wine, add a sliced orange, a sliced lemon and a cinammon stick, let stand covered, overnight. When almost ready to serve, scoop out citrus slices, put in fresh fruit slices, add sparkling lemon/lime juice or soda (2 cups or so) plus brandy or other liquor (l cup or to taste) and simple syrup to taste. Keep tasting/adjusting until it's just right :))!
Thanks Marie!
I made this soup yesterday and you were right, it is fantastic!
The house smelled so good it was hard to resist sampling it all day.
Hey everybody. I thought I would update you on how the dinner party went. I used some suggestions from this thread and things went well! I had a cheese plate with some aged gouda, some camambert, some pont leveque, apples and crackers. For wines we mostly served Zinfandels and some Pinot Noir. I made the soup, some cornbread, served them with an avocado, onion and arugula salad with some roasted red pepper vinaigrette. And for dessert I picked up some great cupcakes from a local bakery. All in all, it was very easy (I was hoping to do as little food prep as possible) and the food went fast! Thanks for all your help and suggestions :)