Corner Kitchen: A Biltmore Village Restaurant Blog

Ingredients:

2 each                Italian Eggplant

1 cup                 Tahini

2 cloves             Garlic (minced)

1/2 Cup             Olive Oil

to taste              Lemon Juice

to taste              Salt and Pepper

Method: Coat the eggplant in olive oil, grill for flavor. Roast in a moderate oven until very tender. Cool. Peel and remove most of the seeds. Puree in a food processor with the Tahini and garlic. Drizzle in the olive oil and season with the lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

1 pound  Dried black beans (about 2 cups), rinsed, soaked in 4 quarts of water overnight or 6 hours, drained

2 each  Bay leaves

7 cups  Water

4 Tbsp  Olive oil

1 each  Large yellow onion, chopped fine

4 each  Medium garlic cloves, chopped fine

6 Tbsp  Tomato paste

1 Tbsp  Ground cumin

3 Tbsp  Chile powder

3 to 4 Tbsp  Lime juice (can substitute lemon juice)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro

Sour cream

Avocado, peeled and chopped

Method:

Place beans in a thick-bottomed pot. Sauté onions in the olive oil until the onions are golden brown. Add Chili, Cumin, garlic and tomato paste. Add water, bay leaves, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and let cook 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until beans are tender. Remove bay leaves.

Remove 4 cups of the soup (about half of it) to a blender. Purée until smooth and return to the pot of soup. (You may need to purée the soup in smaller portions, depending on the size of your blender. Don’t fill the blender more than half way at a time and hold the lid while blending.) Add 3 Tbsp of lime juice. Adjust seasonings. If on the sweet side, add a bit more lime juice. Salt to taste.

Serve with garnishes. Makes 8 cups. Serves 6.

Note that the soup may continue to thicken. If you would like it thinner, just add some water to desired consistency.