Mexican Mediterranean Fusion

Last night I went to Daphne's to cook dinner - Sunday night we were CRAVING a yummy hummus and so we planned to make one on Monday night.

Shopping at the farmers market early Monday morning simply built the excitement for the night. I bought a bunch of rainbow carrots - purple, orange, and white. Fresh, farm-grown cilantro, garlic, and peppers were also available for our menu. As I walked to school, I loved the feeling of having such a burst of color in my bag - like a sort of secret that I was carrying, a treasure of life and energy in my bag.


On the menu:
cilantro-spiced hummus with carrots and peppers
spicy black bean soup

We followed Ina Garten's basic recipe for hummus - chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt, and lemon, and then we added chopped cilantro and half of a chile pepper

Epicurious has a delicious black bean soup recipe that we used. It turned out very well and was extremely simple. I loved the fusion of mexican/southwestern flavors with the freshness of Mediterranean ingredients.

Black Bean Soup:
16 ounces black beans (undrained if using canned)
1 medium onion, medium diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, medium diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces canned, diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 tablespoon jalepeno pepper, chopped
1-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2-3 tablespoons cumin
salt/pepper to taste

Heat pan and olive oil until hot; sweat onions, carrots, and garlic until carrots are slightly soft. Add jalepeno, black beans, stock, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer until vegetables are soft. Remove 3-5 cups of soup, puree in blender, and return to soup. (amount pureed depends on desired consistency) Allow soup to reduce until thicken (to desired consistency). Add cumin, salt, and pepper. Serve with garnish of sour cream and scallions.



For dessert, I had left over dough from my pastry quiz earlier Monday morning. Sticking with the galette from, I substituted a cranberry reduction sauce for apples, and created a sweet and tart cranberry galette! As we pulled the tart out of the oven, Amanda, Daphne, and I all said we just wanted 1 bite... 5 minutes later, the plate was licked clean. A pleasing sight for a chef...



Wish I had more pictures from our creations!