Wednesday 12 March 2014

Food, Music, Food, Music, Food, Music... Ad Infinitum


Mexican chocolate, chilli and black bean soup

As I promised a few weeks ago I have "nicked" one of Jack Monroe's recipe and included it in my food and music section tonight. Jack Monroe is one of the most inspiring cooks around at the moment. The fact the her recipes do not cost an arm and a leg is also a plus. I hope you enjoy the dish below.

Mexican chocolate chilli and black bean soup

Serves 2
dried black beans 100g
onion 1
garlic 1 clove
small red chilli 1 or a pinch of chilli flakes
paprika a generous shake
ground cumin a generous shake
oil a splash
carrot 1
red wine 30ml
chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g carton or tin
vegetable stock cube 1
dark chocolate (3 squares, approx 20g)
fresh parsley to garnish

Put your beans in to soak the night before, or early in the morning if you're going to be cooking that evening. Place them in a bowl, cover with fresh cold water and then some, and cover the bowl with clingfilm. Leave for a minimum of 8 hours to soak.

When soaked, drain and thoroughly rinse your beans. Put them into a saucepan with fresh water and bring to the boil for approximately 10 minutes, then turn down to a simmer.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the onion and garlic, and chop the chilli (reserving a couple of slices for a garnish), then put them all into a saucepan along with the paprika and cumin. Add the oil and cook over a low heat until the onions and garlic soften.

Wash and chop the carrot, and add to the saucepan. Pour the red wine and tomatoes in, and stir through. Crumble in the stock cube, then add the dark chocolate and 400ml boiling water. Drain the beans and tip into the pan. Stir and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrot is tender.
If you like, pulse the soup in a blender until smooth. Serve hot, garnished with a sprig of fresh parsley and a slice of red chilli in each bowl.

Tip: swirl cream, natural yoghurt or creme fraiche on top before serving.

The music to go with this recipe has to be feisty and you don't get more feisty than Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Joan loves rock'n'roll, I love rock'n'roll and I'm sure Jack loves rock'n'roll, too. What with that paprika and the generous shake...



The follow-up to Joan is a little 90s number. Groovy Elastica's Connection is a throwback to  Britpop times. It still sounds fresh, though.



Rita J's album Artist Workshop still gets heavy play from me at home. I love her energy and "in your face" attitude. No Regrets is a top tune. Enjoy.



Carleen Anderson's voice is like the small red chillies in Jack Monroe's recipe. It leaves a nice, warm feeling in the mouth, throat and stomach. Leopards in the Temple shows off this artist amazing vocal range. Beautiful.



This recipe was taken from The Guardian. Jack Monroe's book can be bought here.

Next Post: "Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music", to be published on Sunday 16th March at 10am (GMT)

22 comments:

  1. That chocolate might actually be a nice subtle addition to the chili. Sounds like it's worth a try anyway.

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  2. Interesting recipe indeed and never heard a one of those before at my shore

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  3. Yum. And the earthiness of those music selections is an ideal complement. Thanks.

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  4. I will have to make this recipe, sounds great and I really enjoyed the music.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I like chili -- not too hot, not too spicy -- and, I think I would rather have the wine in a glass to sip and the chocolate on a dish for dessert. As I sometimes say, I have little imagination and even less daring when it comes to food.

    Joan Jett is playing March 22 at a casino less than an hour away from me. You are giving me ideas, CiL. The other young ladies are/were strangers to me. Very nice selections.

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  6. Must try out this combination of chocolate and chilly and beans.

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  7. Has escogido la mejor combinacion, musica y comida, saludos.

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  8. Has escogido la mejor combinacion, musica y comida, saludos.

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  9. I'm a little overdosed on black beans for now - but give me a month or two and I'll give this a go.

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  10. I like collecting recipes ... some I try, some I don't... this one is definitely going on my 'must have'list.

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  11. I just adore the combination of chocolate and chilli...in fact you could say I am addicted to it!
    Many thanks for sharing this delicious recipe...and the fabulous music! :)

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  12. dude...i bet that chocolate adds a cool depth to this.....printing this one out....joan jett...ha, awesome. really enjoyed colleen anderson as well....

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  13. That sounds wonderful! I put cocoa in my chilli but never would have thought to put dark chocolate. The soup sounds amazing. Gonna keep this one and try it sometime. Thank you.

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  14. The recipe looks very appetizing!

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  15. Love the sound of that soup!

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  16. oh i'm getting hungry... need to try this...and some cool music as well...

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  17. Thanks--all delicious. K .

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  18. I love the combination of chocolate and chilli, specially in a chocolate bar. I might try this recipe,

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  19. OMG that recipe sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. I've actually won a few chili cook-offs, but I have never had chili with chocolate in it. Now, I'm intrigued... I'll have to try it sometime. Thanks1

    Happy weekend!

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  21. Many thanks for your kind comments.

    Greetings from London.

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