Recipe for a Perfect Moment: Sunday Night in Havana

Sunday nights in Havana are notoriously languid. It takes time to make Cuban black bean soup. Beans soften and gather flavor at their own pace, and cooks have learned to wait patiently. While your own beans are cooking, take time to tune in to Latin radio. And when your friends arrive and the beans on your own stove have finally turned to soup, be sure you have an extra bottle of Turning Leaf Shiraz ready. You’ll find that your friends will want to linger around the table long after this soup is gone.

Ingredients

4 Adventurous friends
2 Bottles of Turning Leaf Shiraz
for the black bean soup
4T Olive oil
2 Medium onions, finely chopped
2 Medium red peppers, seeded and finely diced
5 Garlic cloves, minced
3c Vegetable stock (use the liquid stock available at most supermarkets)
2T Cumin
2T Oregano
2T Balsamic vinegar
6c Cooked black or red beans (follow directions on bag)
4T Sour cream
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

for the tortillas with melted cheese
4 Store-bought flour tortillas
1T Olive oil
1c Sharp aged cheddar cheese, shredded

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan.

Add onions, peppers, and garlic, then cook while stirring, until the vegetables are limp.

Add vegetable stock, cumin, oregano, vinegar, and beans to the mixture. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, adding salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Just before the beans are ready, heat a skillet. Brush both sides of each tortilla with the olive oil. Cook each tortilla on both sides until they crisp lightly. (If they puff up, which they’ll likely do—simply pat them lightly and they’ll deflate.) Spread the cheddar cheese evenly over each tortilla and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about eight minutes.

To serve, pour a piping hot serving of soup into each bowl, and add a dollop of sour cream in the center. Offer up the tortillas on a beautiful oversized plate in the center of the table. Enjoy.

Make it Perfect

Flowers, flowers, and more flowers! Try a colorful wildflower grouping for a table decoration—you can pick them easily yourself, and arrange beautifully in a glass vase. Then, to complete the rustic outdoorsy feel, tie a piece of long purple fountain grass around each napkin as an unusual replacement for napkin holders.